The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in MLB with a 91-58 record, and it's frightening to think they could have been even better had things broke Miguel Andujar's way. After a sterling rookie campaign in 2018 when he hit an impressive 27 home runs to go along with 92 runs batted in and a .297/.328/.527 slash line, Andujar, while dealing with myriad injuries and off-field troubles, has been terrible, posting a dreadful .573 OPS since 2019.

In fact, Miguel Andujar got so fed up with his situation, and perhaps even his own performance, that he requested a trade from the Yankees back in June. Now, Andujar is one step closer to his wish after being designated for assignment by the Yankees. Nevertheless, manager Aaron Boone still praised the work ethic Andujar showed in the six seasons he has coached the 27-year-old.

“It's tough. It may end up that he clears [waivers], I don't know if anyone's claimed him yet or anything like that but he's a great kid who works really hard,” Boone told reporters after their 5-4 win against the Boston Red Sox. “He's still really talented. You never know when it can really pop and still click for a guy that's shown he can do it at this level too.”

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While the Yankees attempted to hold on to Miguel Andujar for as long as they could, the return of shutdown reliever Zack Britton from the 60-day IL forced their hands. Andujar made plenty of concessions before this move, learning a new position in left field, as well as toiling away in Triple-A Scranton, but he just didn't play at a level where the Yankees felt justified in giving him a more featured role.

With Miguel Andujar's trade value at an all-time low, it's difficult to see any team ponying up anything of value to acquire the services of the former Rookie of The Year runner-up. However, as Aaron Boone said, Andujar still possesses plenty of talent. Perhaps it's just a matter of giving him more opportunities and a clearer, more defined role, something the Yankees had trouble affording the Dominican Republic international. He's still 27, after all, and he has plenty of time to turn his career around.