In their quest to get their roster to the necessary 40, the Yankees made some surprise moves on Friday night.
The team announced Friday that Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade, and Rougned Odor were all designated for assignment, while Oswaldo Cabrera, Ron Marinaccio, Everson Pereira, Stephen Ridings, and JP Sears were all added to the major league roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.
Frazier, a former first-round pick who was traded to the Yankees prior to the 2016 trade deadline, has struggled with symptoms related to a concussion he suffered back in spring training of 2018. His 2019 season included multiple problems in the outfield, linked to his lingering symptoms, and he rebounded to post a .905 OPS in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, which seemed to solidify his place as a starter in the outfield in 2021. But he hit just .186 with a .633 OPS in 66 games before being shut down with post-concussion symptoms that were still impeding his performance.
General manager Brian Cashman told reporters as recently as Thursday night that Frazier was doing well and would likely be ready for spring training, but he will now be headed elsewhere after spending his first five big-league seasons with the Yanks.
Wade has served in a utility role for the Yanks over the last five seasons, and logged a career-high 145 plate appearances in 2021, batting a career-best .268 with a .677 OPS. Wade was valued for his speed and defensive versatility, but the Yankees prioritized others in adding to the 40-man roster.
Odor was brought in via trade with the Rangers on April 6, and appeared in 102 games , batting .202 with 15 home runs and a .665 OPS.
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