Miguel Andujar Undergoes Surgery

Jason Burke | Sep 11, 2024

Aug 23, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Miguel Andujar (22) before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Oakland Athletics placed left fielder Miguel Andujar on the IL back on August 28 with a core muscle injury, then transferred him to the 60-day IL a few days later to clear up a spot on the 40-man roster. On Tuesday, the A's provided a medical update on the 29-year-old. "Outfielder Miguel Andujar underwent successful core muscle surgery today with Dr. William Meyers at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia. He will return to Oakland to begin rehabilitation prior to the offseason."

After missing the first two months of the season, Andujar made his season debut on May 24, and ultimately made it into 75 games with the A's in 2024. That is the most games he's racked up in a season since his breakout year in 2018 with the New York Yankees when he played in 149 contests. His previous high game count in the big leagues was 45 back in 2021, also with the Yankees.

With Oakland this season, Andujar hit .285 with a .320 OBP and four homers. He finished the year with a 102 wRC+ (100 is league average), and provided the A's lineup with a solid veteran bat.

The question heading into this offseason is whether his roster spot will be waiting for him when 2025 rolls around. Centerfielder JJ Bleday has been having a breakout year, and just set the franchise record for doubles in a season (39) by a centerfielder on Tuesday night in Houston. He's also added 20 home runs, a double-digit walk rate, and a 121 wRC+.

In right field, Lawrence Butler has had a pretty solid breakout of his own in the second half, batting .328 with a .368 OBP and a 181 wRC+, good for the sixth-best bat in baseball since the break.

Brent Rooker is entrenched as the team's DH, which really limits Andujar to seeing action in left field. They'll also have Seth Brown, Esteury Ruiz, Colby Thomas, and potentially even Ryan Noda in the mix for playing time in the outfield in 2025. It's likely that the A's part with a couple of those options either via trade or DFA.

Andujar has proven to be a solid bat with great contact skills, and playing in Sacramento there is a chance that his power production could also go up, making him an even bigger headache for opposing pitchers. There will be some tough decisions that need to be made when it comes to roster construction, and this could be one of them if the team feels they could target a slight upgrade.