As summer rolls on and the postseason inches closer, so does the opportunity for some minor league players to try and make their mark on the Yankees.
On September 1st the team’s roster size expands from the standard 25-man to the entire 40-man roster. At this point, any player on the expanded roster on August 31 may play for the Major League team. Here’s a look at how some of those possible call-ups have performed this year:
Deivi Garcia
Current Team: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (AAA)
Currently On 40-man Roster: No
The Yankees #1 prospect has been the talk of the minor league system this season as he has climbed through the ranks dominating opposing hitters at every level. The 20-year-old started the season playing for the High-A Tampon Tarpons where he shined in 4 starts posting a 3.06 ERA and 1.25 ERA. He was then called up to Double-A Trenton Thunder and made 11 starts posting a 3.36 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP while striking out 87 batters in only 53 and 2/3 innings. On July 11th he was promoted once again to Triple-A Scranton and has sputtered a bit with a 6.63 ERA over 19 innings. Garcia is not currently on the 40-man roster so that move would have to be made by August 31st for him to be eligible for the September call-up—a move Yankees faithful assume is just a matter of time.
Clint Frazier
Current Team: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (AAA)
Currently On 40-man Roster: Yes
The Clint Frazier saga has been just one of many big storylines this year. This has only continued as more and more players hit the IL at the big league level and Frazier has yet to get the call back up to the Yankees since he was sent down on June 17th following a slump at the plate and a streak of disastrous defense. Before he was sent down, Frazier was slashing a respectable .283/.330/.513 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs over 53 games. In his time at the Triple-A level, he has posted a slightly less appealing slash line of .258/.311/.464 with only 6 home runs and 17 RBIs over the course of 37 games. Yes, Clint can be a head case and he didn’t help himself out when he refused to talk to reporters after a rough night defensively but the fact of the matter is that he has the tools to help this team win in the postseason and I fully expect that he will get that opportunity.
Michael King
Current Team: Trenton Thunder (AA)
Currently on 40-man Roster: No
On November 20, 2017, the Yankees traded Caleb Smith and Garrett Cooper to the Marlins for international signing pool money and RHP Michael King. This was a transaction that was hardly even discussed because at the time King hadn’t made it past Single-A ball in the Marlins organization; however, since King was acquired by the Yankees he has dominated opposing hitters and soared through the minor league ranks. He began last season as part of the Tampa Tarpons where he posted a 1.79 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 40 and 1/3 innings pitched. After his promotion to the Trenton Thunder, he continued to dazzle as he racked up a 6-2 record in 11 starts posting a 2.09 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He ended the year at the Triple-A level with the RailRiders where he was even more impressive with a 4-0 record in 6 starts posting a 1.15 ERA and 0.67 WHIP. Unfortunately for King, a stress reaction in his elbow during Spring Training had put him on the shelf all year until making his first start of the season last week for the Thunder where he threw only 4 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. Like Garcia, he will need to be placed on the 40-man roster before the deadline and if he continues his pace from last season he should get that opportunity.
Tyler Wade
Current Team: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (AAA)
Currently on 40-man Roster: Yes
The story of Tyler Wade’s young career has been great production in the minors but just can’t seem to put it all together offensively at the Major League level. In 68 games at Triple-A Scranton, Wade has slashed a fantastic .312/.361/.452 while being a utility man all across the infield. However, Wade has had two different stints with the Yankees this season where he has struggled at the dish slashing .216/.322/.275. In my opinion, the major upside of Wade is his unbelievable speed and his ability to play both middle infield positions as well as third base. For these reasons, I fully expect Wade to get his 3rd shot with the Yankees this season when the rosters expand at the end of the month.
unhingedyankees.wordpress.com 