The New York Yankees have placed LF/DH Giancarlo Stanton on the ten day injured list with a left biceps strain. The team has not yet listed a specific timetable for his return.
The #Yankees have placed Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list. No word yet on the severity of Stanton’s left biceps strain. More to follow: pic.twitter.com/RteLjmzzWC
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) April 1, 2019
The move comes after the Yankees dropped two out of three games against the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. Stanton had two hits and seven walks in 15 plate appearances with no home runs or RBIs during the series.
Clint Frazier will be called up from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre to replace Stanton for the time being.
Impact for Yankees
While the severity of this injury is uncertain, it leaves the Yankees without the former NL MVP for at least ten days. The team should be able to get by without him as their upcoming schedule includes the Detroit Tigers, Orioles, Houston Astros, and Chicago White Sox. Despite the aforementioned lost series to the Orioles, they, the Tigers, and the White Sox all teams had losing records last year and are still in the rebuilding process.
If Stanton is sidelined long term, the Yankees schedule still plays out favorably. They end April with 11 games against the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, and San Francisco Giants. All of these teams also had losing records last season.
Stanton is the newest addition on a lengthy list of Yankee injuries that has accrued since the start of Spring Training. The Yankees were felt to have tremendous depth in the outfield, but they now see their third outfielder injured. Stanton joins Aaron Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury on the injured list.
Opportunity for Clint Frazier
The 24 year old Clint Frazier gets another chance to prove himself in the Major Leagues. Frazier got an extended opportunity in 2017 to play left field. In 39 games, he slashed .231/.268/.448, with four home runs, four triples, and 17 RBIs. He played in 15 games in 2018 before a concussion forced him away from baseball activities for most of the year.
Frazier is an exciting young player, but does come with his flaws. He has struck out in one third of his major league at bats (56/168). His minor league career has also seen a plethora of strikeouts, as he has struck also struck out 28.3% (593/2093) of the time in Minor League Baseball. This has prolonged his development with the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Rail Riders.
Stanton’s absence will be a big loss for the Yankees, and his presence will be missed in the lineup. Frazier’s plate discipline may be an issue for a team that has already struck out 29.8% (31/104) of the time through three games. Despite an extensive history of poor plate discipline, if he can cut back on the strikeouts, he can be an exciting, exceptional long term replacement for the Yankees
Main Photo:
