Notes: Frazier optioned; Andújar in left field

Had the regular season started as scheduled, Clint Frazier likely would have had an opportunity to log hundreds of plate appearances while Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton recovered from their respective injuries. With those stars back in action, manager Aaron Boone instead saw Frazier as an odd man out.

With the Yankees seeking additional arms for their bullpen, Frazier and right-hander Ben Heller were optioned to the Yankees’ alternate training site in Moosic, Pa., after Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the Nationals. Boone said that the 25-year-old Frazier handled the demotion like “a pro,” but it was still a difficult conversation.

“Clint's ready to be an impact player in this league. There's no doubt in my mind,” Boone said on Sunday. “Unfortunately for him, he's blocked right now with a lot of good outfielders. … It's hard when you're sending down a big league player that you know is ready to produce, but it's kind of the situation we're in right now.”

In corresponding moves, the Yankees recalled right-handers Brooks Kriske and Nick Nelson, both of whom were active for Sunday’s series finale against the Nationals. The Yanks’ bullpen soaked up eight innings in Saturday’s loss after starter James Paxton recorded only three outs.

While Stanton is being limited to designated hitter, Boone sees no shortage of capable outfield options with Brett Gardner, Hicks, Judge and Mike Tauchman. Miguel Andújar, a converted infielder, made his first Major League start in left field on Sunday.

Boone said that he hopes that Frazier can maintain the focus that he showed during Summer Camp while he waits for another opportunity in the Majors. Frazier, who turns 26 in September, batted .267/.317/.489 (111 OPS+) with 12 homers and 38 RBIs in 69 games for New York last season.

“I'm really proud of who he is right now and where he's at,” Boone said. “It doesn't make it any less difficult in every facet, because you're sending down a player that you know is ready to be an impact player in the big leagues. That's a hard thing to do. I feel like the work he's put in and the strides he's made in every aspect of his game are real.”

Gettin’ Miggy
Andújar is appearing in his first big league game since May 12 of last season, after which he decided to undergo surgery to repair a partial tear of his right shoulder labrum. With Gio Urshela seemingly entrenched at third base, Boone told Andújar in January that increasing his versatility could be the ticket to a spot on the roster, a challenge that Andújar accepted immediately.

“We really loved what we saw from him in left field,” Boone said. “He seemed to kind of take to it right away. I feel like he’s absolutely returned physically to the player we saw in his rookie year. To his credit, he has worked really hard defensively, not only at third, but in the outfield to try and create more opportunities for him.”

Andújar was the runner-up to the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani in the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year Award voting, a season in which he batted .297/.328/.527 (130 OPS+) with 47 doubles, 27 homers and 92 RBIs. He was limited to 12 games last season by an injury sustained while diving into third base during the Yanks’ first homestand.

“Once he got [the shoulder injury] taken care of, the prognosis was going to be good,” Boone said. “Knowing Miggy’s work ethic and character, I'm not surprised that he was back ready and champing at the bit towards the end of last year and into the offseason.”

Work in progress
When J.A. Happ agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract with the Yankees prior to the 2019 season, the deal included a vesting $17 million option for '21 that would kick in if the left-hander pitched 165 innings or made 27 starts during the '20 regular season.

Since those numbers will be unattainable during the pandemic-shortened 60-game schedule, Happ said that his incentives are in the process of being resolved. Happ is scheduled to make his season debut on Monday in Philadelphia.

“Unfortunately, it's an ‘it is what it is’ type of deal,” Happ said. “I'm going to do my best to sort of just pitch. I've been in situations where there's been some other things potentially hanging over your head a little bit, and I’ve been able to handle it. I just plan on focusing on the task at hand, and hopefully we get a resolution to that at some point.”

Bombers bits
Masahiro Tanaka was scheduled to throw 35-40 pitches on Sunday in Moosic, Pa., representing Tanaka’s final tuneup before an anticipated Friday return to the rotation. Tanaka sustained a concussion on July 4 when he was hit by a 112 mph Stanton line drive.