The Yankees have reinstated Gerrit Cole from the injured list, per a club announcement. Right-hander Brooks Kriske, who’d been up as a replacement player, was returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move.
Meanwhile, the Yankees transferred outfielder Clint Frazier from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. That opens up a 40-man spot for Cole, who’d temporarily been removed while on the Covid list, but the Yankees also indicated that Frazier’s rehab stint in Triple-A has been halted. No further word has been provided on his status at this time. Frazier has already been out since July 1; the move to the 60-day IL means he can’t return until the end of August.
Cole tested positive for Covid-19 back on Aug. 2 and wound up missing two weeks of action. He’ll jump back into the mix at a time when the Yankees have won 12 of 16 games since the July 30 trade deadline to pull within five and a half games of the American League East lead and just two and a half games of the second American League Wild Card spot.
Cole, who signed the largest contract of any pitcher in MLB history two offseasons ago, has pitched to a 3.11 ERA with a 34.4 percent strikeout rate and 5.5 percent walk rate in 130 1/3 frames thus far for the Yankees in 2021. He was one of the focal points of Major League Baseball’s crackdown on the usage of foreign substances by pitchers. He’s had his share of slips along the way since the league implemented foreign-substance checks for pitchers, but Cole has also looked like every bit the ace that signed that record contract at times since the new enforcement of the policy; he punched out 12 hitters in a shutout of the Astros on July 10 and followed with 11 strikeouts in six innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox his next time out.
As for Frazier, it’s a concerning development in the outfielder’s health outlook. He was placed originally placed on the injured list with dizziness, vision problems and other symptoms perhaps consistent with vertigo. That was said to have been ruled out early in the process, however, and there’s been no firm indication as to what is at the root of the issue. He’d recently returned the field and gone 4-for-10 with a double in three games, but it now seems he’ll step back from playing in games as the team further evaluates his status.
Frazier, 26, had a big showing in 2020, hitting .267/.394/.511 with eight homers, six doubles and a triple through 39 games and 160 plate appearances. He looked poised to step up as an everyday option in left field for the Yanks, but in 218 plate appearances this year he’s batted just .186/.317/.317.
Deleted User
But did they Tacktivate him?
MilwaukeeStrong
booooo
no steve
boooooo
tstats
Stuck in the past huh…
humphrey x boegarts
Get a grip
dasit
hoping he sticks this time
Budlight Selig
Oh no now who’ll be packaged with Andujar for Trout since Frazier is injured?
JRamHOF
Odor
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
Yeah, I smell it too.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Package is now Andujar, Frazier & Severino. Cost just went up.
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
Not if Frazier has vertigo. A bad case of vertigo can last years & ruin a career. (Nick Esasky for one)
bobtillman
They’re dealing Frazier to Minny in the offseason for Rob Refsnyder.
ctguy
Once they get Refsnyder they only need to sign Blake Swihart.
bobtillman
WORLD SERIES A LOCK!!!!!!
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Asking for a friend of a friend. Is it “legal” for a team to rent out a player for the playoff hunt (post-trade deadline)? A team like the Pirates or the Twins could rent out one of their players, to say the Padres (or Yankees), who would then return that player just before the playoffs. Is this allowed? I know it would appear to the world as a desperate measure but technically it would be allowed, wouldn’t it? Maybe it would have to be couched as two trades (to new team and back to old team).
Dorothy_Mantooth
No it is not. The only players that can be acquired now are those who have been DFA’d or those who were in the minors all year and not part of a 40 man roster.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
But time machines are okay. I mean if they don’t find out about it.
Rsox
And teams cannot sign players in October just to play in the playoffs (i.e. The NFL)
When it was a game.
That stopped with st. Louis browns. To make a few extra bucks would send his best players out towards end of year.
Cosmo2
No. Preventing stuff like that is precisely why the trade deadline was created in the first place.
dirkg
Please educate this West Coaster. Clint Frazier: his name comes up every trade season and the Yankees hold onto him. He’s now 26 and from what I’m seeing, his numbers are average at best. Is he a minors darling? Yanks overvaluing him? What’s the deal…
Ducky Buckin Fent
Well, health is the “deal” with him at the moment. He was a fairly well regarded prospect who came to us in the Andrew Miller trade.
He certainly has the raw ability to be a good player. Indeed, it looked he was going to be part of our core moving forward, after a real nice showing in ’20.
But he’s had a number of injuries. Including some concussion stuff. This latest situation with him is pretty disturbing news.
I guess the reason for all the jokes/absurd trade proposals (never proffered by Yankee fans by the way) is the sheer audacity shown by some Yankee fans to realize he is far from bad & could have a pretty bright future.
In the end, it’s just basic ill spirited trolling.
So: ha-ha?
NateB11
Really great take. Born and raised in ATL, I’ve always had a soft spot for ballplayers from my home state. Buxton, Posey, Frazier, Heyward, Fowler – they’ve always just felt like “our guys” to me and my brother, who’s also a big fan. I really hate to see the news on Frazier. It feels like the guy has just lived in limbo for nearly 3 seasons now. He’s never been able to settle in up in NY the same way Judge did. Maybe I’m completely off – I don’t watch the games on a nightly basis. I just want the Georgia kid to do well, because he’s got so much talent.
As for the trade packages, I think that’s more harmless banter, mimicking NYY fans who overvalue their team’s players. It’s the one thing us Braves fans and Yankees fans unite on: our players are worth 10 X any other team’s players. It’s been an MLBTR comment board rule for nearly twenty years.
JoeBrady
Ducky Buckin Fent
He was a fairly well regarded prospect
==============================
The issue is, and always has been, and always will be, when do you trade really good prospects? In hindsight, you’d have traded him in the off-season, because you have ESP, and you knew he would have a bad season 6 months later.
But back in the world of reality, where you can’t predict the future, you don’t trade him now. This is the same for all struggling prospects (and players). It would be stupid to trade a guy just because he is in a slump. But without the ESP thingy, you don’t know if it is a slump, or if maybe he can’t play. In Frazier’s case, I think he is a much better lottery ticket than a trade candidate.
I’d much rather gamble that he can become the .761 career OPS hitter he’s been, than accept a B prospect.
Ducky Buckin Fent
Well, @Joe Brady, if you are looking for an argument you have the wrong poster. I agree with you completely.
________________________________________________
Damn, I hope we crush you guys today.
JoeBrady
It was a stream on consciousness observation. I object to commentators who use 20/20 hindsight to determine what works and what doesn’t. DirkG said “his numbers are average at best”. Frazier had a .905 OPS last year, and .806 the previous year. I think both numbers were a bit inflated, but in no universe are .905 & .806 ‘average’ numbers.
Even worse is when he asks if the NYY were overvaluing him. The only time you can overvalue a player is when you are putting a value on him-when you acquire him, when you decide to extend him, etc. Otherwise, he is just a player.
thecoffinnail
Cashman has always had a thing for the “perfect swing”. When he sees his version of it he holds onto that prospect way longer than he should. The 2 most recent he has mentioned as having the best swing in the minors are Greg Bird and Frazier. Hopefully, he will finally trade Frazier for a solid 4th OF type that can stay healthy. Frazier has had concussion/vertigo issues since his first season. Yea he has some promise left but if the Yankees want to truly contend it’s time to bring in players you know will contribute. Instead of constantly building a great team on paper that only hits the IL during the season. A trade I think makes sense for both teams would be Hicks and Frazier to the Cubs for Hayward and Happ. Hayward only has 2 years left compared to Hicks 4 but he makes more than twice as much. Frazier and Happ both need to switch teams. The Yankees would lose potential but would gain certainty and Happ can play multiple positions. Cubs shed payroll and pick up 2 solid trade candidates if they can put half a season of healthy together. Knowing Cashman his off-season move this year will be to sign Schwarber to a 4 year deal. He is the other player Cashman has had a multi-year crush on.
Rsox
Anyone else think the Frazier era in New York is coming to an end? Are the Yankees really going to want to pay him a raise in arbitration or do they trade/non-tender him this winter? Granted the Yankees don’t have a lot of great Outfield options but they may benefit from moving Hicks to LF and target a Center Fielder or giving Florial a chance in spring training
Darryl Rose
He certainly appears to have a significant health issue which presumably explains this year’s lack of production vs a very good 2020.
He has virtually no trade value so I assume the Yankees will hold onto him and ride out whatever his issues are.
Vision? Concussion related? Something more serious? I think they have too much invested in him to just let him walk and they know when healthy he’s a very solid hitter.
I really think whatever decision they make will come down to whatever the medical prognosis is.
Having said that, they can’t really count on him contributing next season until his issues are properly diagnosed.
iang2424
Even if they did keep him, he needs out of New York. A fresh start with a new organization is probably the best for him and his career. I know a player doesn’t usually have a lot of say in that while they are in arbitration or before but it would benefit him more than others just getting out of New York. Obviously don’t speak for him or anything but lots of pressure to perform that he just hasn’t this year.
Darryl Rose
I don’t disagree. I just don’t see Cashman having this blow up in his face by trading him him for a used baseball and seeing him with an .850 OPS somewhere else.
Maybe build him up and trade him but I don’t see it happening when he has little value.
iang2424
That’s a fair point. I wouldn’t want to let him go after seeing what he did last year and hopefully he gets healthy. Like you pointed out, it all comes down to their decision riding on what the medical diagnosis is.
When it was a game.
Reminds me of Joba rules. Up down started reliever bench starter. Let him play. Guy has great talent. Need to see if he can use it.
dobsonel
They’ll non tender him this off-season. There’s no room for him on the 26 man even when healthy. I doubt they’ll want to pay him $2 mil to play in the minors.
JoeBrady
Lee Mazzilli for HOF
Reminds me of Joba rules.
==================================
Nothing for the rest of history will ever match the Joba rules.
1-The dude was in a bad slump, with a 8.55 ERA in his previous 4 starts.
2-For prospects, they like to go no more than 30 IPs than the previous year, and he was well past that.
3-In the 8 games under the Joba rules, he had a 6.75 ERA. It was obviously not working. They should’ve DL’d him for 3-4 weeks to rest up, or just shut him down for the year. Pure crazy by Cashman, who ruined both him and Hughes,
YankeesBleacherCreature
They still have Gallo and Judge in the corners next season and Hicks plays decent D in CF. With Stanton also taking the occasional OF rep, I don’t see Frazier having a place on the team next season. There’s also Andujar on the mend too. The Yankees offseason priorities will be a SS and #2 pitcher.
Yankee Clipper
I do see a potential for a CF acquisition on the horizon. But I do agree I think they will address SS and certainly SP. Plus, I honestly wouldn’t mind waiting for Trea Turner, if he doesn’t sign an extension next season. Solid SS and CFer, with great bat-to-ball skills, moderate power, and blazing speed. He could be a game-changer at the top of a stacked Yankee lineup. They may also have the pieces to get him next season as the Nats continue their transition to younger, less expensive players.
Ducky Buckin Fent
Turner is a really good player who would absolutely check a number of boxes for us.
It’s understandable as the deadline was so wild & the Dodgers did a lot. But, LA actually acquired him in the same trade they landed Scherzer. He’s a Dodger now.
I presume he will be playing for them next year too.
My guess is, Trea Turner will not show up on this offseason’s menu.
rocky7
With the Gallo acquisition and Stanton actually paying innings in LF, Frazier’s time in New York is over.
JoeBrady
want to pay him a raise in arbitration
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I can’t imagine that the NYY would be afraid to pay his salary. he just isn’t expensive enough, unless the doctors say the vertigo is untreatable.
Theghostoftycobb
Frazier is the gift that keeps on giving..
Unlimited Power
Showed great bat last year, didn’t get going right away like everyone else. No point in selling low.
Ducky Buckin Fent
Another grueling stretch of games coming up for the Yanks. Can’t believe we have made up so much ground with everything we recently went through.
Need Cole to be a true ace the rest of the way.
Nothing less.
Yankee Clipper
Ducky, what are your thoughts on Trea Turner as I cited above. He can player both CF and a good SS depending on what we need in a lineup, and he’s a really good hitter with speed. I think he would be my top choice out of the SSs, although he is under contract next season.
DiehardFriarsFan
Padres and Yanks in the World Series anyone?
gbs42
You’d get nice long odds on this in Vegas.
tstats
Arrieta with the go ahead homer
Robrock30
Watching Yankees vs. Angels tonight.
Cole and the AL MVP Ohtani. Good matchup. David Cone broadcasting outstanding!
dasit
the lack of information is frustrating. this is moving from “hope he gets better so he can help the yankees win” to “hope he gets better so his life isn’t seriously impacted”
YankeesBleacherCreature
What info do you need? He pulled himself out of a MiLB rehab game due to issues related to vertigo. Brain stuff is one of most difficult things to treat.
Yankee Clipper
I think he meant for Frazier – the lack of information and regression devolved Frazier’s situation from needing to come back to the team, to now needing a better quality of life in general. He was referring specifically to the progression but I see why you interpreted it the way you did.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Perhaps I was jumped the gun a bit as I’m just as frustrated for Frazier.
jchancel
Why all this talk about Frazier and andujar? Bring back greg allen who showed us so much promise.
Florial anyone?