Frazier sent to minors by Yankees

It was inevitable that someone would lose out on a lot of at-bats when the New York Yankees acquired the AL home run leader, Edwin Encarnación, on Saturday.

Unfortunately, the big loser appears to be Clint Frazier. Despite placing fourth on the team with 11 home runs and slashing .285/.333/.522, Frazier was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the team announced Sunday. The move certainly caught Frazier by surprise.

“This is the reality of things,” Frazier said to reporters. “Guess I’m facing reality right now. It’s a tough pill to swallow. It’s never fun, especially with how much I’ve felt like I’ve contributed to this team.”

The short answer to why Frazier had to be sent down is that he is the only player the Yankees actually can option to the minors. Veterans would have the right to hit free agency, and Frazier still has two options left. It’s not entirely fair, but it’s how the system works.

Looking for the best online betting site? Visit Heritage Sports!

With Encarnación set to split first base and designated hitter duties with Beefy Dinger Man Luke Voit, that leaves Frazier to fight for playing time in the outfield. However, with Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge due back imminently and the team investing $70 million in Aaron Hicks, there wouldn’t be much playing time for him. Even Yankee stalwart Brett Gardner appears likely to ride the pine for extended periods of time.

Frazier won’t spend the whole year in the minors, of course. No team has faced injuries quite to the extent the Yankees have this year, and it would be foolish to assume perfect health through September. Frazier didn’t do himself any favors with his poor defensive play in right field, though. His -10 Defensive Runs Saved rank second-worst in baseball, and there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to back that up too.

A trip to the minors could give him more time to work on that defense and potentially his relationship with the media.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets. Find us on both Facebook and Google+!