Yankees Demote Clint Frazier To Make Room For Edwin Encarnacion, Possible Trade Looming

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, yeah,” Clint Frazier said to the media on Sunday after being told he was being demoted back down to Triple-A Scranton. “It’s never fun, especially with how much I felt like I’ve contributed to this team this year.”

With slugger Giancarlo Stanton set to return from his rehab stint on Tuesday, and with Aaron Judge set to follow him in the next few weeks, the outfield at Yankee Stadium was beginning to look rather crowded. When the Yankees acquired MLB home run leader Edwin Encarnacion from the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, it meant that Frazier’s bat, the only part of his game that has stood out this season, became expendable.

Through 53 games this season, Frazier has hit to a .283 batting average with 11 home runs and 22 extra-base hits. The biggest knock against Frazier’s game has been his defensive struggles, one of the main reasons why the Cleveland Indians agreed to trade Frazier to the Yankees in the first place for Andrew Miller in 2016. Frazier’s defense came under harsh scrutiny, especially after committing three errors during an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the Boston Red Sox a few weeks ago. Frazier refused to speak to the media following the game.

Fellow Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, has offered kind words of encouragement for Frazier following his demotion. “Sometimes when decisions are made, you don’t always agree with them, but you’ve just got to keep your head down and keep moving forward,” Gardner said. “He’s a guy that has a ton of talent. He’s going to play this game for a long time.”

“He’s played a big role on a winning team, and that doesn’t necessarily stop now, but this is where we’re at with the roster situation,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “So obviously tough news to deliver, but hopefully he can make the most of it and continue to get better at his craft and know that he’s going to play a role for us again.”

With the Yankees’ surplus of offensive talent, combined with questions surrounding their starting rotation, Frazier is seen by many as the main centerpiece in a trade this summer to acquire a pitcher like Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer, Marcus Stroman or Aaron Sanchez. 

“I’ve been traded once, so who knows?” Frazier said. “I can’t control that, I just try to play as good as I can to put myself in a good position.”

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Whether or not Frazier will be playing baseball as a Yankee past 2019, one could only guess. The next few weeks will decide whether or not Frazier has a future in pinstripes.