The New York Yankees are facing significant injuries in the outfield, with Giancarlo Stanton rehabbing a quad injury and Aaron Hicks being placed on the injured list. On Wednesday, reserve outfielder Ryan LaMarre suffered a hamstring injury, sidelining him for the foreseeable future. The only available starters remain Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Miguel Andujar. You probably noticed Clint Frazier was not included on that list since he is now dealing with a neck injury that hasn’t been given a timetable for return.
The Yankees have called upon Andujar and Tyler Wade to fill the void as a wait for reinforcements. It is an unfortunate reality that will likely spark trade rumors prior to the deadline this summer. The Yankees will likely need outfield support, and one name that has been circling is Ketel Marte, a utility player from the Diamondbacks.
Marte is currently on his way back from an injury but is expected to make a full recovery and join Arizona in the coming days. In seven games this year, he’s hitting .444 with two homers and five RBIs. Over a larger sample size in 2020, he hit .287 with an incredibly low 10.8% strikeout rate. He’s a phenomenal contact hitter but also posted 32 homers in 2019, showing the Yankees that he has slugging capabilities.
Of course, these are just rumors for now, but Marte does fit the Yankees’ mold and would be a solid supplement in the outfield, especially if Hicks is expected to be out for quite some time.
Circling back to Frazier, Boone indicated that he was feeling adequate but still dealing with the neck injury:
“He’s doing alright. Still just stiffness in that neck,” Boone said. “We just want to get back to New York and see what we’re dealing with and hopefully get some better news on that.”
Hopefully, it is nothing long-term, and he can return to the team within the next few days. Frazier has had a tough start to the season, hitting .151 with a 27.2% strikeout rate. He currently has a -0.7 WAR, but with more live-action, should elevate his numbers as the season progresses.