This could be Brandon Drury's shot at Yankees return

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said third baseman Brandon Drury could help if …

NEW YORK — Brandon Drury last played first base in 2016 for the Diamondbacks. Before that, he hadn’t seen the position since 2012, when he was in Single-A.

Getting more familiar there could help him break back into the majors.

That road started Tuesday night, when Drury played first base for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Drury, a regular third baseman, could be used at first base by the Yankees in case of emergency, manager Bobby Mitchell told reporters.

Bobby MItchell on Brandon Drury playing first base tonight: Something we’re going to try to do periodically to get him some work over there in case (the Yankees) need him in an emergency. #Yankees
— DJ Eberle (@ByDJEberle) June 13, 2018

Manager Aaron Boone said something similar after the Yankees beat the Nationals, 3-0, at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

“It can definitely help,” Boone said. “Versatility has been something that Brandon has done throughout his career, obviously played a lot of second the last couple of years. So I think adding some versatility to his game certainly puts him in a better position to be able to help our club again at some point.”

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Drury is hitting .305 with two homers, 14 RBI and a .897 OPS in 34 games at Triple-A.

The 25-year-old got demoted at the end of a rehab assignment following a disabled list stint meant for him to fix problems with headaches and blurred visioned he’d had for years but told nobody about. Often, Drury said, he’d go to the plate with his vision blurred.

He’s blocked at third base by rookie Miguel Andujar, who’s hitting .310 with eight homer and 28 RBI in 53 games.

Now, he’s healthy, and it’s possible that the Yankees could even use him as a right-handed alternative to starter Greg Bird, who hits lefty.

Bird’s current platoon mate, Tyler Austin, is second among American League rookies with eight home runs, but he’s been bad against righties and has hit just .140 in 57 at-bats since May 1.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.