TAMPA, Fla. -- It was a yes or no question. Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn't answer directly. Infield coordinator Carlos Mendoza didn't either.

Is prospect Miguel Andujar's defense ready enough for him to start Opening Day in the majors?

"I think there's a chance," Boone said at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday.

"I'm very happy with where he's at right now," Mendoza said.

Andujar, 22, seems to have the inside track at the starting spot in the Bronx at the moment. He's expected to compete against promising youngster Tyler Wade, top prospect Gleyber Torres and big-league utility man Ronald Torreyes.

The Dominican Republic native is baseball's 59th best prospect and the fifth best in the Yankees' system, according to Baseball America. He's by far the team's most advanced third base prospect, having hit .315 with 16 homers and 82 RBI between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He also got eight plate appearances in the majors, collecting four hits, including a pair of doubles, and a walk.

The problem: His defense. A scout who's seen Andujar often told NJ Advance Media that while he's made strides, he struggles with his footwork and accuracy (despite an arm Mendoza called a "cannon").

Mendoza said Andujar has been working out at the team's minor-league complex -- well before position players are due to report to spring training - and that the work has been promising.

"He came in in great shape physically," Mendoza said. "He's worked a lot on his flexibility. He's getting down on the ball a lot better. His footwork is getting better. I like where he's at. Again, we're looking for consistency. Right now, that's what I'm getting over at the minor-league complex."

Mendoza added that making "routine plays" consistently has been Andujar's issue.

"At this level, it's all about consistency, it's all about making the routine plays," he said. "I'm comfortable right now with what I'm seeing -- the consistency of catching the baseball and throwing the baseball across the diamond is there right now. I'm excited to see him here."

Said Boone, "I think he has the skills to be a major league third baseman defensively. There's no question in my mind that he's going to hit, and hit for a long time in this league. And there's no question in my mind that defensively he'll be really good at some point. We've got to see how he does this spring and how he looks. He has to continue to progress defensively to get to a place where he needs to be, but what I'm excited about is the skillset is there for him to be really good down there at the hot corner. He's going to be a really good player."

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.