WASHINGTON -- After being sidelined for most of the last two months while recovering from a concussion, Clint Frazier is more excited for this opportunity with the Yankees than he was to step into the lineup for his Major League debut last July.
Unfortunately for Frazier, his stay in The Show could be brief. With Frazier promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, giving the Yankees an extra bat off the bench during their two-game Interleague series with the Nationals, general manager Brian Cashman said he could not commit to carrying Frazier past Wednesday.
"It was a lot harder to come back from that [concussion] than it was to make it to the big leagues last year," Frazier said. "I'm just excited to be here. It's going to be fun, whenever I get the chance to get back on the field."
In a corresponding roster move, right-hander David Hale was designated for assignment.
When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.
Cashman said that the Yankees would prefer to return to carrying 13 pitchers once the two-game Interleague stretch concludes.
"We've gone all year with the extra pitching to try to protect our starters," Cashman said. "I think that's probably in our best interest. It's probably a short-term situation [to have Frazier up] because we're playing in Washington, but we'll see. Every day, something can affect the decision-making. Going into it, we definitely wanted to balance out better because we're in a National League ballpark."
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Frazier has been driving the ball with authority at Triple-A, making him a great choice off the bench for the Interleague contests, when Boone plans to hit for the pitcher spot in the second halves of games.
"We'll see where we are the next few days and weigh our options," Boone said. "With a guy like Clint, who has such a bright future for us, it'll be something where we'll feel like he's really filling a need for us or able to get enough playing time to make sense. It's also a situation where he's absolutely got to be playing."
Frazier sustained the concussion in the Yankees' second Grapefruit League game, slamming the back of his head against a wall while making a catch against the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla.
At times, Frazier had difficulty driving, with sensitivity to light, and even remembering the names of his cats. The progression toward feeling normal took more time than the 23-year-old Frazier had expected.
"It's a life-changing moment that I went through," Frazier said. "It altered every part of my day, not just baseball but my outside living situation. It was tough to battle back, because I didn't know where the finish line was going to be. There were days I woke up and was like, 'Is it going to end, or is it not?'"
Frazier started to feel normal during his four-game Minor League stint with Class A Advanced Tampa, during which he watched one night game from the dugout just to get used to the brightness of the lights. That, Frazier said, was his biggest hurdle while on rehab.
Promoted to Triple-A, Frazier hit .362/.423/.702 with three home runs in 12 games for Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He played center field for the RailRiders on Sunday for the fourth time this season.
"[I felt] really good," he said. "It's the third calendar year there, so I'd hope by now I'd be able to hit that pitching. I made a few adjustments, just trying to be really early and more athletic in the box. It's paid off. I'm hoping it pays off for the long term."