Yankees: Clint Frazier to the DL, but Aaron Hicks returns

An oblique injury has forced the Yankees to place rookie outfielder Clint Frazier on the DL, but they’ll welcome Aaron Hicks back to the lineup tonight.

The New York Yankees made a pair of roster moves today, placing a promising rookie on the shelf while welcoming back one of their most surprising players of the season’s first half. Per a team announcement, Clint Frazier has been placed on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to August 9) with a strained left oblique.

Meanwhile, Aaron Hicks has been activated from his own DL stint. He will bat second and play left field in tonight’s series finale against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Frazier was scratched from yesterday’s lineup due to tightness in his oblique. The 22-year-old outfielder got off to a fast start upon making his major league debut on July 1. He slashed .304/.310/.625 with three home runs and nine RBI through his first 15 games. Over his last 13 contests, however, he is batting just .182/.237/.327 with a homer and eight RBI.

Initially it seemed like the Yankees were going to have a very difficult decision ahead of them concerning whether or not to send Frazier back down to the minors when Hicks was ready to return. At first, general manager Brian Cashman said Frazier would be sent back to Triple-A regardless of his performance, but he later walked back those comments and suggested the rookie could remain with the team.

Frazier’s recent struggles may have been making that less of a dilemma, but the injury postpones any decision at least for a little while. No matter what, Frazier will be with the club when rosters expand on September 1.

The Yankees will hope Hicks can provide something of a jolt to an offense that has been rather inconsistent of late. They scored 11 runs last night and eight on Sunday, with a two-run performance sandwiched in between. Over the previous five games, they managed a total of only eight runs.

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If Hicks can produce like he did before hitting the DL with an oblique issue near the end of June, the Yanks will be more than happy to have his bat back in the lineup. The outfielder owns a .290/.398/.515 slash line with 10 home runs, 15 doubles and 37 RBI in 60 games (242 plate appearances).

Those numbers are worlds better than what Hicks offered last year after the Yankees acquired him from the Twins. He hit a lowly .217/.281/.336 with eight homers, 13 doubles and 31 RBI in 123 contests (361 PA). The 27-year-old surpassed most of 2016’s meager production in about half as many games and two-thirds as many plate appearances.

After a month-and-a-half on the sidelines, it might be somewhat optimistic to expect Hicks to pick up right where he left off. It’s also worth noting that he was slumping a bit prior to landing on the DL, slashing .179/.256/.231 in his last 10 games. Still, with a bevy of injuries over the past several weeks, the Yankees will welcome Hicks back with open arms as they aim to return to full strength for the stretch run.

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Hicks should also give the team some more lineup flexibility for the rest of the season. Matt Holliday, who just went back on the DL himself, has been a black hole recently in the DH spot. The Yanks might cycle through a few designated hitter options in an effort to put the best team on the field on a night-to-night basis, especially as Frazier, Tyler Austin, Starlin Castro and Greg Bird work their way back.