HELP ON THE WAY
Injured Bombers on deck for return as Yanks battle Tampa for first place
Clint Frazier takes cuts in 10-3 victory over White Sox Sunday, then, in surprise move, gets sent back to minors as Yankees make room for Edwin Encarnacion, Giancarlo Stanton and, in a few days, Aaron Judge.
Edwin Encarnación is already making things interesting for the Yankees. The Bombers acquired the slugger from the Mariners on Saturday night with the intention of making him their primary designated hitter. They add him to the lineup today and will also welcome back Giancarlo Stanton, with Aaron Judge to follow.
To make room for him, the Yankees surprisingly optioned controversial outfielder Clint Frazier to Triple-A Sunday after their 10-3 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow, yeah. It’s never fun,” Frazier said of the news. “Especially with how much I felt I have contributed to this team this year.”
Frazier was clearly caught off guard by the move and so were others who saw his production as a reason to keep him
around. In 53 games this season, the 24-year-old left fielder is hitting .283/ .330/.531 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI. But he is a liability in the outfield and there will not be any more DH games available for him.
Frazier created a controversy in the wake of a loss to the
Red Sox on June 2, ducking the media after his three defensive lapses cost the Yankees the game. When he did finally surface, he listed his litany of complaints about how he has been treated by the media and the fans.
As he packed for Scranton, it was not far-fetched to wonder if Frazier has played his last game as a Yankee.
The Bombers are clearly not done making moves; they need starting pitching and Frazier’s name has been the one mentioned most as part of a possible package the Yankees could offer for a top-line starter.
Frazier, who the Yankees acquired in the 2016 deal that sent Andrew Miller to Cleveland, wasn’t sentimental about it Sunday.
“I’ve been traded once, who knows. I can’t control that,” Frazier said. “I just try to play as good as I can to put myself in a good position.”
The addition of Encarnación put the Yankees in a good spot, Aaron Boone said Sunday.
“He fits in well. He’s obviously a great hitter, has been for a long time and continues to be,” he said. “Obviously he’ll become the primary DH, but has played a lot of first base and we feel like he’s very capable over there as well. Looking forward to adding him, just adding some more length to our lineup. He’s not just a feared hitter, but a really good hitter.”
Encarnación adds another power-hitting, right-handed bat to a lineup that is about to be rich with them. The 36-year old native of the Dominican Republic was traveling to New York after Saturday night’s late trade and will be activated for tonight’s game. On Tuesday, the Yankees expect Stanton to return from the injured list after recovering from series of injuries. During the next 10-game homestand, the Yankees also expect Judge to return from his IL minor-league rehab.
That gives the Yankees two sluggers
(Stanton and Encarnación) who hit at least 30 homers last season, and five guys in their lineup who hit at least 20 home runs last season. That does not include Gary Sánchez, who hit 18 last year and already has 20 this season, or Luke Voit, who has already surpassed his total of 14 for last season.
“Encarnacion, Stanton and Judge,” Boone said. “That’s three elite power hitters plugged into our lineup. Hopefully it’s something that over time creates a big time advantage for us.”
The addition of Encarnación makes for not only a formidable lineup, but an interesting one. When his roster is healthy, Boone could continue to lead off with DJ LeMahieu and he can split up sluggers Judge and Stanton with switch-hitting Aaron Hicks. That puts Sánchez in the No.5 spot followed by Encarnación, lefty-hitting Didi Gregorius and the right-handed hitting Voit. Gleyber Torres would be the Yankees’ No. 9 hitter.
The addition of Encarnación also takes away some of Boone’s flexibility with the DH. Stanton played just 73 games in the outfield last season, taking the majority of his at-bats in the DH spot. Now, he will be asked to play a lot more defense.
“I mean, we’re talking Edwin Encarnación. To get another elite hitter. We’ll still have some flexibility,” Boone said. “He’ll get his occasional day off. You can plug him in at first base if you want to give Luke a day. There will be some occasional turns in that DH spot if we want to get a guy off his feet for a day.
“But no … to get a guy of his caliber, I think it’s something we’re excited about.”