Setback sends Clint to 60-day IL, season in doubt

The strange and confusing saga of Clint Frazier continues. Frazier went on the injured list on June 30 with a condition that the Yankees initially thought was vertigo. That was ruled out long ago, but still Frazier wasn’t able to play in any sort of game until August 10. That game featured four at-bats at Single-A, and he was quickly shuffled along to Double-A. His stint there did not last very long.

The 26-year-old outfielder pulled himself out of Sunday night’s rehab game due to a general case of not feeling well, citing similar symptoms to those that took him out in June as well.

“He’s just not quite feeling where he needed to be,” manager Aaron Boone told the media before Monday night’s tangle with the Angels. “I’m glad he had the courage to pull the plug on it.”

No specifics were given as to Frazier’s physical condition or what caused him to remove himself from the rehab assignment. Either way, he’s now on the 60-day IL and doesn’t seem to figure in the Yankees’ imminent future.

“He just didn’t feel like he was good enough to post,” Boone said. “We applaud him for making that decision.”

When confronted with the question of whether Frazier would play again at all this year, Boone said all they can do is hope for the best.

“We’ll see, obviously he’s been through a lot. He’s seeing a lot of people and getting a lot of testing. We’ll support him where we can but as of right now he’s in a bit of a holding pattern. I know he feels well today.”

COLE TRAIN

Gerrit Cole was activated off the COVID-19 injured list on Monday, just in time to face the Los Angeles Angels. His last start was the worst of his season with seven earned runs against the Rays, and things only got worse when he contracted the coronavirus. All systems are go for Cole now, though, even if the Yankees are prepared to handle him with kid gloves in his first start back from the illness.

“Obviously not like normal,” Boone said of his plans for Cole’s start. “We’ll be communicating the whole way through. He’s someone who communicates well. We’ll monitor him closely and certainly won’t push him like we normally would. I don’t think we have a hard and fast (pitch count) but we’ll watch it closely.”

After Cole, the Yankees will throw Jordan Montgomery on Tuesday in his return from COVID. Luis Gil will take the other half of Tuesday’s doubleheader, followed by Andrew Heaney on Wednesday.

BATTLING BACK

Another member of the Yankees’ COVID-19 injured list is taking the necessary steps to come back onto the active roster. Gary Sanchez has been out since August 5 after testing positive for the virus. His time on the shelf could expire as soon as this week, though. Sanchez did some hitting on the field at Yankee Stadium on Monday afternoon in an attempt to ready himself for Tuesday’s doubleheader with the Red Sox.

“Everything went well (on Sunday),” Boone said of Sanchez’s baseball activity.

As for Rizzo, he underwent cardiac screening on Monday and is, according to his manager, feeling better with each new day.

“If everything goes well there he will be here (Tuesday) to hopefully go through a full workout,” Boone said.

KLUBOT REPAIRS

The Yankees have used 13 different starting pitchers since Corey Kluber’s last start on May 25. Some normalcy may return to their rotation once Kluber’s rehab assignment is over. He will pitch for the Triple-A RailRiders on Tuesday, signaling a step toward returning to the Yankees again, and two infielders are close to doing the same.

Boone said Gleyber Torres (finger) and Gio Urshela (hamstring) are both also progressing toward returns.

Torres has yet to hit againand Urshela will take ground balls on Tuesday.