KANSAS CITY — Aaron Boone had a point. The Yankees have taken so many punches of late with the coronavirus sidelining four players and various injuries hitting out of nowhere. How would the Yankees fit Clint Frazier into the mix in the majors when he’s finally healthy?
Pffft.
“Every time I think I’m making plans for the next few days,” Boone said, “something else gets turned upside down. We’ll see.”
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Frazier’s march back from a bizarre disabled list stint started officially Tuesday night. At Low-A Tampa, the almost 27-year-old went 2-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts in his first rehab assignment appearance.
It was a good first step, but how many steps Frazier will need is anybody’s guess. Boone couldn’t give an exact resolution to whatever was bothering the 2013 first-round pick in the first place. While he was placed on the IL with vertigo July 2, and while he removed himself from a game the day before after experiencing dizziness, the team hasn’t even publicly defined what was wrong with him.
What we know is that doctors checked Frazier for signs that the concussion he suffered in 2018 could still be haunting him, and that was ruled out. Frazier traveled to Michigan for neurological tests and Boone said that he might be wearing new contacts and that doctors have given him neck exercises that could help him.
What we don’t know is simple: How would he crack the Yankees’ lineup after his terrible start to the season and the addition of Joey Gallo? And would he work as a bench piece?
One American League East evaluator did the verbal equivalent of a shrug when asked those questions via text Tuesday: “Where would they even put him?”
And that’s the question. Not just for this season, but for next, too.
With Gallo in left field, the chances for Frazier become limited. The Yankees need Aaron Judge in right field as often as possible, and they’re working Giancarlo Stanton into the outfield rotation with the hope that the move allows them to open the DH spot and still keep Stanton’s bat in the lineup every now and then. While Frazier was a Gold Glove candidate in right field in 2020, some advanced stats put Fraizer’s defense at well below average this season, and he shouldn’t factor into the center field mix with Brett Gardner, Jonathan Davis, Greg Allen, Joey Gallo and Judge all better options.
Frazier has one last minor-league option remaining, and an argument could be made that the Yankees would be better off letting him work at Triple-A rather than getting stale on the bench.
But what happens to Frazier in 2021 isn’t the Yankees’ only concern. It’s also unclear how he fits into the picture in 2022.
Brett Gardner has a $1.2 million buyout for next season, and it’s possible that the Yankees will use it. The Yankees still would have Judge, Stanton and Gallo, plus Aaron Hicks coming back after missing all this season. Hicks has four years and $41 million remaining on his deal. The Yankees might want to give Hicks a final crack at the starting center fielder job.
Then again, the way injuries continue to wrack the Yankees even after they overhauled their medical training department in 2020, the Yankees might need the depth, giving Frazier another opportunity.
“We know what (Frazier is) capable of and his talent,” Boone said of his impending return. “But that’s so far down the line, the first thing is him going out and playing. It’s been a while and he needs to get playing and games under his belt again. That’s a ways off to even think about yet.”
Surely, it’s already on the minds of Frazier and Yankees fans, and how it shakes out could provide answers to his long-term future in pinstripes.
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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
The Link LonkAugust 11, 2021 at 08:18PM
https://www.nj.com/yankees/2021/08/yankees-have-difficult-clint-frazier-questions-looming-analysis.html
Yankees have hard Clint Frazier questions looming | Analysis - NJ.com
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