Clint Frazier is out of the Yankees’ starting lineup again on Thursday as he continues to deal with neck issues that could stem from a diving catch in right field against the Orioles over the weekend.
Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Frazier will undergo testing when the team gets back to New York.
“Still just stiffness in that neck and we want to get back to New York and see what we’re dealing with,” Boone said. “Hopefully we get some better news on that.”
Frazier has struggled badly at the plate all season, but his loss is yet another injury to the outfield, which has become so depleted that Miguel Andujar and Tyler Wade, infielders at the start of their big-league careers with a combined 35 career outfield starts, are getting multiple looks in the outfield.
Ryan LaMarre, recently called up after the wrist injury to Aaron Hicks and a quad injury to Giancarlo Stanton, injured his hamstring on Wednesday night and landed on the IL on Thursday, representing the latest loss to an outfield with now razor-thin depth.
“Obviously you see Ryan go down last night and it looks like a pretty significant hamstring injury, and with Aaron Hicks possibly being out, that’s not ideal,” Boone said. “But we’re also very equipped to handle this. Giancarlo is coming off hopefully at some point early on in the homestand, and opportunity knocks for somebody else. It’s a chance for somebody else to step up, and we expect them to, and we expect to keep on going out there and winning games.”
Aaron Judge is the only regular starter still standing in the outfield, but even he is out of Thursday’s lineup for a rest day after DHing the previous two games. Judge has been handled carefully this season with general side soreness and lower body soreness popping up, and with Boone trying to maximize Judge’s value by using more days off to hopefully avoid an IL stint, the outfield is in even more need of help.
“I kind of had this day game after a night game in mind,” Boone said. “I think he’s at about 10 in a row right now. With some of the lower body issues he’s dealt with and nursed through early on in the season, I just want to make sure I don’t run him into the ground either, especially with how well he’s played for us.”
The Yankees have won seven of 10 and are just 1.5 games back of first place, but they will have to weather all of these outfield injuries and find some more offensive production out of Andujar, Wade and Brett Gardner to continue moving up the standings while the starters heal.
“We know attrition and adversity is coming for us,” Boone said. “You have to be able to handle it and deal with it if you’re going to be a successful club.”
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