DUNEDIN, Fla. — When the Yankees acquired Brandon Drury from the Diamondbacks, it appeared Miguel Andujar had been given a ticket to Triple-A.

Not only did the Yankees like the 25-year-old Drury, they gave up pitcher Taylor Widener and second baseman Nick Solak — prospects people inside the organization believe will surface in the big leagues.

Well, Drury being in the lineup against the Blue Jays on March 29 in Toronto remains the way to bet. However, during the first week of exhibition games, Andujar (who turns 23 on March 2) hasn’t gotten the message.

Monday night Andujar homered in the ninth for a victory. Tuesday he went without a hit in his first two at-bats and then homered in the sixth inning, tying the score in an eventual 9-8 win over the Blue Jays at Dunedin Stadium.

“He knows he is competing for something,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “We have high hopes for him. He has already opened eyes, not with this camp, but … what he has done in his career. Competition is always good … because it brings out the best in people. When it doesn’t, it’s a learning experience for those that don’t adjust well to that competition and a chance to regroup and think through what went down and how it went down so the next opportunity they have can change the narrative.”

Often it’s hard to get a solid read on a player across 31 games under the palm trees. So, to come to a conclusion following four games is silly, even if Andujar is 4-for-10 with two homers and three RBIs. Yet, Andujar proved last June 28 that the moment isn’t too big for him.

Summoned from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to DH against the White Sox, Andujar went 3-for-4, drove in four runs and stole a base. He was at SWB the next day and stayed there until he finished the season by getting four big league at-bats in four September games.

As for sending a message to the decision-makers that he belongs in the big leagues, Andujar wants nothing to do with that.

“It’s not about sending a message. It’s about doing my job and helping the team win,” Andujar said through a translator.

Based on what he saw on tape and what organizational voices told him, manager Aaron Boone isn’t surprised Andujar is having a strong start to spring training.

“So I came in expecting a lot, frankly, and I’m excited with what I’ve seen,” Boone said. “I’ve seen what I feel is progress, too, on the defensive side. As I said from the get-go, I feel like he’s going to be a really good player in this league. We got a little peek at that [Monday] night. He really impacts the ball. Knows where his barrel is. Has the ability to not only make contact, but I think that power will continue to improve.”

Andujar was shaky in the field last spring, his first in big-league camp, and made 17 errors in the minors. In the last four seasons Andujar committed 91 errors.

“I think it comes down to footwork. The skill set, I don’t think there’s any question is there. So he’s got the foot speed, the athleticism, the arm strength — all of the traits you’d like out of a third baseman,’’ said Boone, a former third baseman. “But I think it’s just continuing to really get good with his footwork and get consistent with his footwork that will allow him to be consistent on that side of the ball. I feel like I’ve seen strides there from even when I watched on video, from past stuff he’s done.’’

— Additional reporting by Ken Davidoff