Yankees' Clint Frazier called up: What it means

by Felix Pantaleón

The Yankees were expected to call up Clint Frazier for Tuesday’s game against the Nationals in Washington, D.C., according to reports.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Yankees are calling up Clint Frazier to beef up their lineup, according to Baseball America’s Josh Norris.

The Yankees are set to face left-hander Gio Gonzalez at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at Nationals Park.

Why: Gonzalez is a lefty. Starting left fielder Brett Gardner is hitting .188 with a .465 OPS vs. lefties this season. Frazier has had just 14 plate appearances vs. southpaws this season, but last year he hit .276 with a .822 OPS against them in 119 plate appearances. It’s highly likely that Frazier will start in left field over Gardner.

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How it affects the outfield: If Frazier starts in left, the Yankees are going to want Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup vs. a lefty. Could we see an outfield that has Frazier in left field, Judge in center field and Stanton in right field? Maybe. Regular center fielder Aaron Hicks is a better hitter vs. lefties (.730 OPS) than against righties (.670 OPS) over his career, and he’s a great defensive center fielder. But the Yankees might want the extra pop tonight considering they’ll face early-season National League Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer, a righty, on Wednesday.

You should know: It’s Frazier’s first call up of the season. The 23-year-old, who made his big-league debut last year, missed most of spring training and April suffering from concussion symptoms. Since recovering, he’s hit .362 with three homers and four RBI at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a 1.125 OPS in 12 games.

What he said: Recently, he told the New York Post’s Mark W. Sanchez “I’m ready” for the majors. “I don’t think there’s much more I have to prove to myself to know I can go out there and perform,” he said.

Roster move?: The Yankees haven’t officially announced that Frazier is coming up, but it’s likely they will remove a pitcher from their bullpen, probably long reliever David Hale. The Yankees had an off day Monday, which means the bullpen is rested and could get away with seven arms instead of eight.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.