Yankees: Clint Frazier rehab update from Somerset is mysterious

The New York Yankees can’t even get through an encouraging series victory against the Chicago White Sox without some more negative news on the injury front. This time, outfielder Clint Frazier, who was rehabbing with Double-A Somerset, may have suffered a setback.

After his best showing at the plate with the Yankees in 2020, a year supplemented by some very nice improvements with regards to his outfield defense, Frazier has regressed this season, hitting just .183 with a 74 OPS+ that stands out as the worst such mark in his young career.

Frazier has spent a good chunk of the year on the mend, as concussion issues and a nasty bout with vertigo have severely impacted him. While Frazier appeared to be close to rejoining the team after a rehab stint, the latest development means that it might be a while before he is back in New York.

Frazier was scratched from the Somerset lineup, and there was no clear indication why. When manager Julio Mosquera was asked why Frazier was not in the lineup, he emitted only cricket noises, which should do little to calm down a Yankees fan base currently sitting on pins and needles.

Between Frazier and Luis Severino both bringing forth concerning updates, the season from hell is only getting more potent.

The latest news on Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier isn’t good.

That’s all you got? Just “nope” and that’s it?

The Yankees have been so snakebitten this season. that even the simple act of a rehab assignment has been absolutely fraught with difficulties. New York may not get to see if Frazier can put his vertigo issues in the past and start mashing again.

Based on how he performed in rehab stints with Somerset, Frazier looked ready to use his bat as a weapon off of the bench for the Yankees. Instead, Yankees fans are being forced to wait on the edge of a knife, biting their fingernails as they hold out hope for another injury update about Frazier.

Frazier will turn 27 in a few weeks, and with the Yankees having already traded for Joey Gallo, he is running out of time to prove that he should be considered a key asset moving forward. It’s not necessarily Frazier’s fault that he got hurt, but it is still disappointing that injuries have impacted him in this way.

While the Yankees, at least on paper, have more than enough firepower to shoulder the loss of a player like Frazier for an extended period of time, the decision of retaining him for 2022 and beyond gets even more complicated if they don’t trust his availability.

We’re pulling for you, Clint. Let’s just hope that his scratch in Somerset was for something minor and incidental.

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