Indians should free Clint Frazier from Yankees purgatory

Clint Frazier needs a change of scenery, and the Cleveland Indians are just the team to give it to him.

Early last season, it looked like Clint Frazier was ready to establish himself. In his first 18 games, he posted a .324/.342/.632 slash-line (.974 OPS) with six home runs and 17 RBI. But a left ankle injury, then a slump after he came off the IL (6-for-40), crushed that buzz and led to him being sent to Triple-A.

Frazier rejoined the Yankees last September when rosters expanded, but he hit just .176 with a .596 OPS in 37 plate appearances and he was left off the playoff roster,

Expanded rosters to start this 60-game season seemed likely to give Frazier another chance. But after two regular season games and seeing no playing time, he was sent to Yankees alternate training site on July 26.

An injury was going to be needed for Frazier to get an opportunity with the Yankees this season. On Saturday one came, with Giancarlo Stanton suffering a hamstring injury and going on the 10-day  IL Sunday morning. But Thairo Estrada will take Stanton’s place on the active roster, not Frazier.

Young players are often held down under the auspice of needing to work on their defense, usually in the interest of service time. The Yankees did that defense angle to Frazier last year, but preserving team control seems to be a background issue.

Frazier is not a flawless player. His major league sample shows a below-par defensive outfielder, and he strikes out a lot (29.4 percent of the time in the big leagues). But he’s also still just 25 years old (26 on Sept. 6), with offensive tools that made him a top-25 prospect in 2017 (MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus).

The Indians can rescue Clint Frazier

Entering Sunday’s action, the Cleveland Indians are 13th in the American League in runs (3.38 per game). They are naturally near the bottom in most offensive categories, and they are indeed last in the AL in slugging percentage (.299) and OPS (.607) by solid margins. The outfield and DH spots have been particular production voids thus far.

The Indians were the team that drafted Frazier, fifth overall back in 2013, before sending him to the Yankees in a 2016 deadline deal for reliever Andrew Miller. The Cleveland front office has a different makeup now than it did then, but team president Chris Antonetti was the general manager from 2010-2015 and current GM Mike Chernoff was assistant GM from 2010-2015. So there is plenty of familiarity with Frazier for the Indians, or at least an old scouting file on him somewhere.

The Indians need to bolster their lineup, for now and into the future, and Frazier needs an opportunity the Yankees just won’t give him. At a low point on his value, the Indians should be ready to rescue their former draft pick.