For some reason, the New York Yankees continue to keep Clint Frazier buried at AAA, but refuse to trade him.
For years, Clint Frazier was a consensus top 100 prospect. The fifth overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft, Frazier was considered to be the prize of the Andrew Miller trade, a player that would be a mainstay in the New York Yankees outfield for years to come.
Instead, Frazier has continued to languish in the minors, with brief major league stints. This comes despite several injuries in the outfield since he was sent back to the minors on June 17, which would seemingly allow the former top prospect to receive plenty of playing time.
Those three outfielders do not count Aaron Hicks, who was placed on the IL with a flexor strain on Sunday. In his place, the Yankees activated J.A. Happ from the Paternity List, a move that does make sense given that the Yankees could use some help in the rotation.
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However, Frazier was performing well at the major league level before being sent to AAA in the middle of June. Prior to then, he had produced a solid .283/.330/.513 batting line, hitting 11 homers and 11 doubles in his 209 plate appearances. That production should be enough to keep Frazier in the majors.
Instead, the Yankees have kept veteran Cameron Maybin and career minor leaguer Mike Tauchman on the major league roster. Maybe this could be explained if the Yankees were willing to part with Frazier in a trade, but they are seemingly unwilling to do that as well.
In theory, Frazier is still a part of the Yankees future. He will be just 25 years old for most of the 2020 campaign, and has displayed that he can perform at the major league level. Even if the Yankees decide that they do not have room for the talented outfielder, he could be the key piece in a trade for a rotation upgrade.
Yet, for the rest of 2019, Clint Frazier will be a part of the New York Yankees organization. He just might not get the action at the major league level that he deserves.