With veteran outfielder Aaron hicks hurting his throwing arm over the weekend against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees should elect to call up Clint Frazier.
While it is unlikely they do so for mysterious reasons, Frazier seems to be the obvious choice despite also losing first baseman, Edwin Encarnacion.
The veteran player fractured his wrist, attempting to evade a wayward slider. The hairline fracture could keep Encarnacion out multiple weeks and states that the pain is excessive. More so than the past injury of similar severity.
However, with Hicks on the injured list, it argues that Frazier earns the right to be pulled up over Mike Ford, who has also been effective in AAA ball. Alternatively, Ford is the right decision due to the injuries picked up by Encarnacion and Luke Voit, both of the Yankees starting-caliber first basemen.
If Aaron hicks is out for ten days or more, Clint Frazier may get the call to perform once more at the top level. Ultimately, it comes down to Aaron Boone and how he wants to utilize the quality on the team. Ford is more of a power hitter but struggled in his debut earlier in the year.
With 23 home runs on the year, Ford offers another element to the lineup in comparison to Frazier. He fits well in a slugger-centric batting order for the Yankees, especially with Encarnacion on the IL list with a fractured wrist.
Frazier has been working tirelessly to improve his defense, working in the outfield strictly during his 6 1/2 weeks at Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre. He has been hitting extremely well, which was a similar trend to when he was playing with the first team.
Clint currently holds a .368 batting average over 19 at-bats and his last four games. His total percentage, however, is .257 with six homers and 17 RBIs. While it is a mystery as to why Frazier hasn’t been favored in recent weeks, the Yankees might not have a choice but to utilize his offense of talents once more.