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Clint Frazier

Yankees To Place Clint Frazier On 10-Day IL

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced after last night’s game that outfielder Clint Frazier will be placed on the 10-day injured list with an ankle injury, as Erik Boland of Newsday was among those to report (Twitter links). He joins a dozen other players on a talent-laden Yankees IL.

It seems that Frazier won’t be sidelined for much longer than the minimum; indeed, Boone suggested that the player himself feels he’s close to being ready to return. With the MRI showing some cause for concern, though, the club elected to take the cautious course and free up the roster spot for a healthy replacement.

Reliever Joe Harvey is being called up to take the roster spot, but that may only be a precursor to another move to get an outfield-capable position player onto the roster. The situation could ultimately force a 40-man roster move — possibly a 60-day IL placement for one of the already-injured players — as the club is otherwise fresh out of options.

It’s possible to imagine some kind of minor trade coming together, or the Yanks might call upon one of the veterans it has stashed at Triple-A on minor-league deals. Brad Miller has limited experience in the outfield but would be a flexible option with an established bat. Cliff Pennington is another infielder who has appeared briefly on the grass, though his chief attribute is his glovework on the dirt. Billy Burns would offer a capable defender but little at the plate.

This should only be a road bump for team and player, though there are still some legitimate concerns. The Yanks have managed to roll through the injuries and win eight of their last ten games, but their only three healthy outfielders at the moment are Brett Gardner, Mike Tauchman, and Tyler Wade. Frazier was finally hitting his stride at the game’s highest level, turning in 73 plate appearances of .324/.342/.632 hitting with six home runs. Now he’s nursing yet another injury.

Yankees Place Giancarlo Stanton On Injured List

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2:45pm: Manager Aaron Boone tells reporters that Stanton initially felt discomfort following a swing in Sunday’s game against the Orioles (Twitter link via James Wagner of the New York Times). A postgame MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain. While an exact timetable isn’t known, Stanton will be out longer than the minimum 10 days. The YES Network’s Jack Curry tweets that Stanton will be shut down entirely for the next 10 days. The organization’s hope is that he can return before the end of April.

10:05am: The Yankees announced Monday that they’ve placed outfielder/designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day injured list due to a left biceps strain. In his place, Clint Frazier has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. There’s no word yet from the team on the severity of Stanton’s injury or how long he is expected to be out of action.

There was no clear indication that Stanton was dealing with an injury early in the season. The slugger has a pair of hits in eight official at-bats so far but has also drawn a walk in seven of his 15 plate appearances on the young season, giving him a .600 on-base percentage through three games. The injury is a tough early blow to a Yankees club that already is already without Luis Severino, Aaron Hicks, Dellin Betances, Didi Gregorius and CC Sabathia to open the season. New York torched the Orioles in the season opener but dropped the next two games to lose the year’s first series. They’ll face the Tigers, the Orioles a second time (in Baltimore) and then the Astros (in Houston) over the next 10 days without Stanton in the fold.

With Stanton now shelved alongside Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yankees will lean on Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, Frazier and Mike Tauchman in the outfield mix for at least their next three series (barring any waiver claims or other additions). The injury to Stanton should allow the club to more easily work both Luke Voit and Greg Bird into the lineup at times, and it could also present some more at-bats for offseason acquisition DJ LeMahieu.

The 24-year-old Frazier, meanwhile, will get an early opportunity to rebuild some stock after a 2018 season that was marred by ongoing concussion symptoms. The longtime top prospect received only 41 plate appearances in the Majors, though he certainly held his own, batting .265/.390/.353. In 242 minor league plate appearances last season, Frazier posted an outstanding .305/.388/.562 batting line.

Yankees Notes: Betances, Hicks, Frazier

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A few items on the Bronx Bombers…

  • Flamethrowing Yankees reliever Dellin Betances’ fastball has clocked in from the high 80s to the low 90s this week, a far cry from the 98 mph mean he posted in 2018. However, a slow start to the spring is neither a first nor a concern for Betances, whose fastball has helped him deliver elite production across five major league seasons. “I won’t be all the way until May,’’ Betances said of his velo (via George A. King III of the New York Post). “I have done this already. It’s always been a topic. Whenever Dellin Betances is throwing 88 to 90 everybody freaks out and panics.’’ While the soon-to-be 31-year-old Betances isn’t worried about his early 2019 velocity drop, it’s worth monitoring given that he’s in his last season of team control. Betances will be in line for a lucrative contract in free agency next winter if his heater returns to normal and he enjoys another strong season, though the Yankees could extend the right-hander before then.
  • Center fielder Aaron Hicks – shelved since March 1 with discomfort in his back – has been receiving treatment and will see a doctor Monday, according to manager Aaron Boone (via James Wagner of the New York Times). Boone noted Hicks isn’t experiencing a ton of discomfort, but the Yankees want to take a cautious approach with the 29-year-old, Wagner relays. New York just signed Hicks to a seven-year, $70MM extension on Feb. 25.
  • Meanwhile, fellow outfielder Clint Frazier seems ticketed for Triple-A to start the season, Boone suggested this week (per King). “He needs to play every day,’’ Boone said of Frazier, who wouldn’t get everyday playing time in New York with the established quartet of Hicks, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner blocking him. Boone added the Yankees do expect the 24-year-old Frazier to make a big league impact in 2019, which he wasn’t able to do last season during a concussion-limited campaign. Frazier totaled just 41 plate appearances with the Yankees last season, when he slashed an outstanding .311/.389/.574 in 216 PAs at the minors’ highest level.

Yankees Select Justus Sheffield, Move Clint Frazier To 60-Day DL

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The Yankees announced today that they have selected the contract of lefty Justus Sheffield, the organization’s top pitching prospect. He’ll be heading up for his first taste of the majors.

To create space on the 40-man roster, outfielder Clint Frazier was moved to the 60-day DL. The Yanks also brought up righty Domingo German to bolster their pitching options down the stretch.

Sheffield’s promotion was already reported over the weekend, but had not yet formally been made. The organization first had to sort out its roster machinations. Frazier, who came to the club along with Sheffield in the 2016 Andrew Miller swap, is going to be sidelined the rest of the year owing to his ongoing concussion issues.

Now that Sheffield is officially on the roster, it’ll be interesting to see how he’s utilized. Perhaps he will have some opportunities down the stretch, while the Yanks seek to hold off the A’s for home-field advantage in the Wild Card game. And it’s still conceivable that Sheffield could earn a role on the postseason roster.

East Notes: Mets Front Office, Frazier, Ball, Prado

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It seems the Mets have yet to get their much-anticipated front-office search underway in earnest. But there has been a steady steam of information on the process of finding a new top baseball operations. (Of course, there still has been no formal announcement that the club will replace Sandy Alderson, who’s currently on leave for cancer treatment, though it is widely expected to take place.) Joel Sherman of the New York Post lays out the team’s thinking on the hiring process, suggesting that ownership is still gathering names to consider but hopes to wrap things up in advance of the GM Meetings. Interestingly, current exec Omar Minaya is said not only to be involved in the process, but also a clear factor moving forward. Per Sherman: “it is clear that whoever does get the position is going to inherit Minaya as an executive with — at the very least — significant say in player personnel, and someone who has the ear and trust of ownership.” There are quite a few names being tossed around at the moment. As Sherman notes, that’s largely reflective of the still-early stage of proceedings — and, perhaps, some differences in preferred approaches between Fred and Jeff Wilpon. Meanwhile, Andy Martino of SNY.tv hears that the Mets are open to utilizing different front office structures (or, at least, allocations of titles) to help open the door to additional candidates. Generally, though, he writes that there’s no “particular top candidate in mind” at the moment.

  • Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier likely won’t be able to return this season after suffering a setback in his efforts to return from a concussion, manager Aaron Boone told reporters including Marc Carig of The Athletic (Twitter link). The timing is poor for Frazier, who turns 24 today. With Aaron Judge still working his way back to health, this might have been a prime chance for Frazier to receive an extended opportunity. He has only appeared in 15 MLB games this year but seems in line for more after producing an excellent .311/.389/.574 slash with ten home runs in his 216 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • Red Sox prospect Trey Ball is moving from the mound to the batter’s box, as Greg Levinsky of the Boston Globe notes on Twitter. The Globe’s Alex Speier recently examined the subject, explaining that the 2013 first-rounder was seen as a two-way prospect as a high-school outfielder. With his pitching career fizzling out — he has struggled in consecutive Double-A seasons, despite repeating the level and converting to a relief role — the 24-year-old Ball will now take a second shot at carving out a MLB career.
  • As we touched upon earlier tonight, the Martin Prado contract has been an exceedingly poor investment for the Marlins. That’s due mostly to the veteran’s injury and performance struggles, though the contract has also simply failed to line up with the team’s competitive timeline. Of course, that’s due in large part to the stunning death of former star pitcher Jose Fernandez, which occurred not long before the Prado deal was announced and drastically changed the organization’s outlook. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets, in fact, that the club considered halting negotiations with Prado, which had advanced to the point that terms were “in place” (but the contract un-signed) when Fernandez suddenly and tragically passed away. Instead, writes Spencer, the Marlins decided to go through with the deal that they had negotiated.

New York Notes: Judge, Wheeler, Mesoraco, Frazier

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It seems the Yankees will at least take a peek at the outfield market after losing Aaron Judge for a stretch, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The club is in the early stage of considering the possibilities, with GM Brian Cashman believing his front office has not “peeled the onion enough to tell you exactly what we will do.” The obvious internal choice, Clint Frazier, still isn’t available but could be soon. Otherwise, it seems the team may mostly be looking at finding a player who can help bridge the gap and perhaps then function as a fourth outfield or bench bat option once Judge’s wrist heals and he’s ready to take the field again.

Now let’s jump over to Queens…

  • The Mets are drawing wide interest in righty Zack Wheeler, Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets. That creates an interesting situation for the organization, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post explores in his latest piece. While Wheeler has been the starter the Amazins have been most willing to deal, they’ve seen a recent transformation in his mental approach to the game that’s resulted in him making good on his excellent potential. Because of that, his value to them has gone up, and now they’re not sure whether they’ll be able to find a taker who will pay an appropriate price for him. Of course, Wheeler’s set to become a free agent after the 2019 season, so there’s little reason to hang onto him unless the Mets feel as though they can get a better package for him this offseason, or on the off-chance that they fancy themselves contenders in 2019.
  • Though there’s a chance that Wheeler could leave Queens, backstop Devin Mesoraco appears to be the likeliest player left on the roster to be dealt, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). Mesoraco came to New York in the trade that sent Matt Harvey to the Reds, and he’s improved his production since coming over from Cincinnati. Mesoraco sports a .229/.308/.405 slash with the Mets, and has hit seven of his eight homers since the trade. His contract expires at season’s end, however, and there are certainly teams (such as the Yankees) who could use a catcher.
  • Mets third baseman Todd Frazier is expected to begin a rehab assignment with High-A St. Lucie tonight. The 32-year-old veteran’s decline has continued this season, as he’s hit just .217/.300/.385. Frazier signed a two-year, $17MM deal with the Mets just this past offseason, but has only been able to take the field for 260 plate appearances so far after amassing at least 575 in each of the previous five seasons. He’s dealt with both hamstring and rib issues this season.

New York Notes: Yankees, Mets, Hamels, Happ, deGrom, Asdrubal

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The latest buzz on the two teams from the Big Apple…

  • Though Cole Hamels has been hit hard over his last five starts, there is still trade interest in the veteran southpaw, with MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writing that “the Yankees could be the Rangers’ best chance of moving Hamels” before the deadline.  New York has continued to scout Hamels and has the prospect depth to offer Texas a better minor leaguer in exchange for the Rangers eating the large majority of Hamels’ remaining salary (thus helping the Yankees stay under the luxury tax threshold).  Of course, it remains to be seen how Hamels’ recent struggles will impact his price tag, plus there’s the potential obstacle of the Yankees being one of 20 teams on Hamels’ no-trade list.
  • As you might expect, the Blue Jays put a high initial asking price on J.A. Happ, asking the Yankees for either Clint Frazier or Justus Sheffield, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.  The Jays have reportedly since reduced their demands, which may be why the team seems to be closing in on a trade involving the veteran southpaw.  The Yankees are still involved in talks for Happ, though several other clubs have shown interest.
  • With Gary Sanchez on the DL until late August, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that the team is “comfortable” using Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka behind the plate until Sanchez returns.  The Yankees will “certainly look” for possible catching additions, though “I already recognize it’s a very thin position,” Cashman said.
  • The Padres have checked in with the Mets about Jacob deGrom, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports.  San Diego is known to be looking at controllable frontline pitchers (i.e. Chris Archer, Michael Fulmer, Noah Syndergaard), so it stands to reason that deGrom would also be one of the club’s targets.  Sherman notes that since the Padres see themselves contending by 2020, they have more interest in Syndergaard than deGrom, as the latter is only controlled through 2020 while Syndergaard is controlled through 2021.  While the Mets’ two aces have drawn a lot of attention, however, there still isn’t much evidence that the Mets are actually considering moving either deGrom or Syndergaard.
  • Asdrubal Cabrera’s recent slump has hurt his already limited trade value within a crowded infield market, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes.  “Cabrera is a guy that you can pick up at the deadline if he is hot,” an executive from another team said.  “He’s not somebody that’s going to bring back much in terms of prospects. He’s a guy you could see go at the deadline or even pass through waivers in August.”  MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and Steve Adams ranked Cabrera fifth in MLBTR’s list of the top 75 trade candidates prior to the All-Star Game, though it’s important to note that trade likelihood plays just as large a role as trade value in our rankings.  With Cabrera not producing, the Mets may have to end up moving him simply in a salary dump.

Injury Updates: Turner, Suter, Cespedes, Frazier

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A right adductor strain had kept Justin Turner out of the Dodgers’ starting lineup since July 11, though his return to his regular third base spot today didn’t last long.  Turner had to leave today’s 11-2 win over the Brewers in the middle of the third inning due to right groin tightness.  Talking to media (including the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett) after the game, Turner said that his injury “definitely didn’t get worse but wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.”  A DL stint could potentially be in the cards, though Turner will first receive further examination from the team’s medical staff.

Turner already missed the first six weeks of the season due to a fractured wrist, and it’s fair to say that his performance has suffered due to these injuries.  He is still delivering above-average (110 wRC+) production, though his .259/.354/.398 slash line is below his usual standards, particularly in the power department.  If he does hit the DL, Los Angeles likely already has enough infield depth that they wouldn’t look for any more help at the deadline, especially since the Dodgers already made a big infield addition in Manny Machado.  It might be interesting to monitor if Machado gets any time at the hot corner if Turner if out, though it’s more likely that Machado will simply remain at shortstop.

Some more injury updates from around baseball…

  • That same Dodgers/Brewers game also saw Milwaukee southpaw Brent Suter leave after three innings due to a forearm strain.  Manager Craig Counsell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt and other reporters that Suter would undergo an MRI, though Suter is expected to land on the disabled list.  Suter had a brief DL stint earlier this month with tightness in that same forearm, so it isn’t surprising that the team would be cautious with such an injury even if the MRI doesn’t reveal anything serious.  Milwaukee was already rumored to be looking for pitching at the deadline, and that search is likely to intensify with Suter out of action.  Suter was rocked for six runs today to boost his season ERA to 4.80, though Suter has just a 1.64 BB/9 to go along with a 7.46 K/9 rate, and ERA predictors (such as a 4.04 xFIP) are generally more favorable about his performance.
  • Yoenis Cespedes’ recent comments about considering surgery to fix calcification in his heels caught the Mets by surprise, assistant GM John Ricco told the New York Times’ James Wagner (Twitter links) and other reporters.  Still, Ricco stressed that surgery would be Cespedes’ “last resort” to solve his ongoing leg problems, and that Cespedes’ comments could have been made out of simple frustration.  The outfielder will visit doctors tomorrow, though Ricco said that an examination of Cespedes’ feet in June indicated that the injury could be managed without immediate need for surgery.
  • Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier was placed on the seven-day concussion DL this weekend while playing at Triple-A, though his status has been changed to a 10-day stint on the Major League disabled list.  (NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty was among those who had the news.)  Beyond the specifics of his placement, Frazier’s injury could also impact his immediate future in the organization, as the prospect has often been cited as a popular trade chip for the Yankees at the deadline.

Latest On Michael Fulmer, Nicholas Castellanos

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With the Tigers (40-56) having dropped 19 of 23 to fall out of contention in the AL Central, they’re setting up as sellers as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches. And right-hander Michael Fulmer and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, two above-average players who are under affordable team control past this season, stand out among the Tigers’ potential trade chips.

The 26-year-old Fulmer is the more valuable of the two, considering he’s a proven, in-his-prime starter who’s making a near-minimum salary this season and isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2022 campaign. Fulmer, who’s due to make his first trip through arbitration over the winter, has drawn wide interest in recent weeks, as his MLBTR page shows. As you’d expect, then, he’s not someone whom the Tigers are going to give up for an insignificant return. The belief is Detroit would want “an impact bat” back in order to deal Fulmer, according to Katie Strang of The Athletic (subscription required). Unsurprisingly, Strang suggests that hitter would need to be young – “within a year or two of reaching the major leagues,” Strang writes.

With the Yankees among teams interested in Fulmer, one of their young outfielders, Clint Frazier, could perhaps be part of a trade between them and the Tigers. Frazier, 23, has the potential to serve as a quality major league hitter, though playing time has been hard to come by in New York because of a crowded outfield which features the established quartet of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner. Thanks to their presences, Frazier has totaled just 40 MLB plate appearances this year after racking up 142 a year ago. Further, with the possible exception of Gardner – who has a team option for 2019 – all of those players figure to start again for the Yankees next season. As such, the Yankees could cash in Frazier for a much-needed rotation upgrade – perhaps in the form of Fulmer.

The Tigers, for their part, are interested in both Frazier and teammate Tyler Wade, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. The 23-year-old Wade is versatile enough to play several positions, having lined up in the middle infield, at third base and at all three outfield spots in the minors. However, as with Frazier, there’s no clear path to playing time in New York for Wade – who has collected 114 big league PAs since 2017. In addition to their slew of capable outfielders, the Yankees have a set middle infield (second baseman Gleyber Torres and shortstop Didi Gregorius) and a potential long-term third baseman in Miguel Andujar (though he could be a trade chip if the Yankees upgrade at the hot corner with Manny Machado). That wealth of talent may help influence the Yankees to trade Wade, who was their 15th-ranked farmhand at Baseball America after last season.

Even though Frazier and Wade have piqued the Tigers’ interest, there’s no indication trade talks between them and the Yankees have gotten serious. In fact, New York hasn’t gone past the point of inquiring about Fulmer, per Marc Carig of The Athletic, who echoes Strang in noting the Tigers have placed a “high” asking price on him.

Castellanos, meanwhile, is “available,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. An above-average hitter since 2016, the 26-year-old Castellanos is now enjoying a career season in which he has slashed an outstanding .306/.362/.523 with 15 home runs in 401 PAs. But despite that strong output – which, per FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric, has been 39 percent better than league average – there’s only “mild” interest in Castellanos, Strang writes. Teams are wary of Castellanos’ defensive shortcomings, Strang continues, after he struggled at third from 2014-17 and has been subpar across nearly 800 innings this year in right. In first extensive stint as an outfielder, Castellanos has posted a minus-5.2 Ultimate Zone Rating, minus-13 Defensive Runs Saved and a league-worst minus-16 Outs Above Average mark.

Despite his defensive questions, Castellanos could emerge as a major offensive piece for a contender if such a team acquires him in the next couple weeks. At $6.05MM, his 2018 salary doesn’t break the bank, and he still has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. The Tigers reportedly had interest in handing him a contract extension after last season. No deal has come together, though, and thanks in part to that, Castellanos may be in the final weeks of his Detroit tenure.

Yankees Designate David Hale For Assignment, Promote Clint Frazier

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The Yankees have designated right-hander David Hale for assignment, as per a team press release.  Clint Frazier has been called up from Triple-A to take Hale’s spot on the 25-man roster.

This is the third time in less than three months that New York has DFA’ed Hale, and the Yankees in fact made this exact same transaction (designating Hale to call up Frazier) back in May.  The previous two designations led to Hale leaving the organization, once to briefly join the Twins on a waiver claim, and the other leading to Hale quickly re-signing a new minor league deal to rejoin the Yankees.

Hale has a 4.61 ERA, 1.6 K/BB rate, and 5.3 K/9 over 13 2/3 combined innings for the Twins and Yankees this season.  He tossed 5 2/3 relief innings last night in New York’s 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays, so he likely wouldn’t have been available for another outing for the next day or two.  The Yankees had also been deploying a nine-man bullpen, so they had need for an extra position player off the bench.

Frazier has a .908 OPS over 24 plate appearances this season, as he hasn’t much opportunity to crack the big league roster thanks to a concussion suffered during Spring Training and the simple fact that the Yankees are already deep in outfield options.  The top prospect has a scorching .312/.391/.577 slash line over 215 Triple-A plate appearances this season and would likely already be getting regular big-league playing time for most teams.  For New York, however, Frazier could potentially be a trade chip as the club looks to make additions at the deadline.

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