Red Thunder is red hot.
Yankees’ outfield prospect Clint Frazier, who spent all of March and April on the disabled list with lingering concussion symptoms, is in the midst of a torrid hitting pace with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 23-year-old was activated from the disabled list on May 2.
In 12 games with the RailRiders, Frazier has hit .362 (17-for-47) with three home runs, three doubles, two triples, and four RBI. These numbers include his 3-for-5 with a homer performance on Sunday.
“I know I’m ready,” Frazier told the New York Post this weekend. “I don’t think there’s much more I have to prove to myself to know I can go out there and perform. This is the best I’ve felt physically, mentally, every other way, so I know I’m ready.”
Although the odds of Frazier receiving a spot on the Opening Day roster were slim, he was limited to just two spring training games. On Feb. 24, he suffered a concussion after colliding with the outfield wall against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla.
After the incident, Frazier experienced several setbacks. In March, he told reporters that he occasionally forgot the names of his cats, and had trouble driving. Fortunately, Frazier gradually made progress, and he began playing in rehab assignment games with Single-A Tampa on April 26. All issues are behind him now.
At the moment, the Yankees don’t have a pressing need for outfielders, as a healthy group featuring Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and Brett Gardner is optimal. But Frazier is making quite a bit of noise in the minors, and he’s itching for a return to the majors.
“[The Yankees] are doing really good right now, so I’m trying to wait my turn,” Frazier said. “But obviously my goal right now is try to force their hand, doing everything I can down here. I can’t call myself up… Just trying to open some eyes that I can go up there and make the really good team even better.”
On July 1 of last season, Frazier made his big league debut in Houston against the Astros. He also appeared in 38 other games.
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