A’s left fielder Miguel Andujar will undergo surgery for a core injury, as announced by manager Mark Kotsay on Wednesday afternoon (X link via Martín Gallegos of MLB.com). Oakland had placed him on the 10-day injured list when they recalled infielder Nick Allen on Wednesday; they have the option to transfer Andujar to the 60-day IL if they need to free up a 40-man roster spot.
Andujar joined the A’s via waivers from the Pirates last offseason, agreeing to a $1.7 million salary to avoid arbitration. He missed the first six weeks of the season due to a meniscus repair.
Andujar returned in late May and had a decent season, appearing in 70 games with a .285/.320/.377 slash line, which is roughly league-average offensive performance. His 319 plate appearances marked his highest total since his 2018 rookie season with the Yankees, when he hit 27 home runs and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.
As a right-handed hitter, Andujar showed significant platoon splits. He excelled against left-handed pitching, posting a .411/.459/.536 line in 61 plate appearances, while his .256/.287/.341 performance against righties was less impressive. Although it’s unlikely he will sustain such high production against lefties over a larger sample, his low 9.8% strikeout rate in those situations could make him a viable option as a platoon bat next season.
Andujar has over five years of major league service time and would be eligible for a modest raise if the A’s decide to keep him for his final arbitration year.
The A’s currently have no guaranteed contracts for next season, and only Brent Rooker stands out as an arbitration-eligible player, going through the process for the first time. This gives Oakland considerable payroll flexibility to retain Andujar if they believe he has potential to improve offensively.
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