New York Yankees

Outfielder Clint Frazier criticized the culture of his old team, the New York Yankees, in an interview with Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times that published Thursday.

I like it here. Certainly don’t miss some of the things over there. And I’m really enjoying the way that this clubhouse has maneuvered. It seems like there’s a lot of guys in here that are just accepting of everyone. And it’s been really good for me.

You had to be a cookie-cutter version to be on that team. If not, then you were like a really bad distraction, it seemed like. So I don’t miss being told how I had to look for the last five years.

Frazier played 221 games from 2017 to 2021 with the Yankees, hitting .239 (.761 OPS) with 29 home runs and 97 RBI. The Yankees released Frazier on Nov. 23, and he signed with the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 1.

Frazier is no longer with the major league club after getting designated for assignment Friday, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. He was hitting .216 (.653 OPS) with no home runs and one RBI.

Frazier had an eventful and challenging tenure in the Bronx.

He showed flashes of great offensive potential in 2019 and 2020 when he hit .267 (.845 OPS) with 20 home runs in 108 games. On the flip side, Frazier struggled defensively.

Finding a consistent everyday spot in the lineup was tough to come by, which Frazier referenced in a December 2021 tweet after the Cubs move.

Frazier also suffered concussion symptoms on and off from 2018 to 2021, to the point where he told The Short Porch podcast (h/t Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News) that he was "severely symptomatic."

That Yankees tenure is over, but Frazier now encounters a new challenge after losing his spot on Chicago's big league roster.

He came into professional baseball with a tremendous amount of potential after Cleveland selected him fifth overall in the 2013 MLB draft. There's still time for Frazier to tap into that potential, even with the recent DFA.

For now, the Cubs will go to Frazier's old home to play the Yankees for a three-game series in the Bronx beginning Friday.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is the new betting favorite to win American League MVP, according to DraftKings:

The slugger moved ahead of Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who won the award last year.

Judge has four home runs in his last seven games and leads the majors with 21 on the year, five clear of Mookie Betts, Yordan Alvarez and Pete Alonso, who are tied for second. The outfielder also has a .313 batting average, which would be a career high, plus a league-best .677 slugging percentage and 1.059 OPS.

His performance has been a key part of the Yankees' success this season, with the team leading the majors with a 39-15 record.

The Angels are headed in the other direction with 12 straight losses dropping them to 27-29. Ohtani also hasn't been as dominant as he was a year ago, hitting 11 home runs with just a .242 average and .768 OPS. As a pitcher, he's 3-4 with a 3.99 ERA after lasting just three innings against the Yankees in his last start.

While Ohtani remains a uniquely talented player, Judge has been the bigger difference-maker for his team so far in 2022.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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New York Yankees left fielder Miguel Andujar reportedly requested a trade Friday.

According to MLB insider Hector Gomez on Saturday, Andujar talked with manager Aaron Boone. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic confirmed the request and noted it came because of a "lack of a consistent opportunity" and that it wasn't the first time Andujar has asked to be traded.

The Yankees optioned the 27-year-old to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday to make room for Giancarlo Stanton, who was activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday.

Andujar has spent his entire career with the Yankees since signing as an amateur free agent in 2011, but the past four years have undoubtedly been frustrating for him.

The Dominican Republic native became a full-time major leaguer in 2018 and enjoyed a remarkable year, hitting .297 with 27 home runs, 92 RBI and 83 runs en route to finishing second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Andujar also had 47 doubles that season, which broke the Yankees rookie record previously held by the legendary Joe DiMaggio.

That season has been the high point of Andujar's career by a long shot.

Injuries have been the biggest culprit, especially in 2019, as a strained right shoulder and then a torn labrum in that shoulder limited him to just 12 games.

Additionally, Andujar made three errors in just four games at third base that season and three errors in six games at the position the following season, which forced the Yankees to move him to left field.

Since his outstanding rookie campaign, in which he played 149 games, Andujar has appeared in just 90 games for the big league club.

That includes 12 games this season, during which he hit .268 with two doubles, zero home runs and three RBI.

Andujar has shown he is too good for Triple-A, as he hit .333 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 16 games last season and .289 with four homers and 10 RBI in 26 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.

The issue is the Yankees don't have enough room for Andujar on the major league roster with outfielders Stanton, Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo and Aaron Hicks.

As a result, a trade may be in Andujar's best interest, but dealing him would leave New York without an important depth option should one of its outfielders get injured.

The red-hot New York Yankees are getting one of their best players back in the form of outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.

The team announced Saturday that it had activated Stanton off the 10-day injured list after he was placed on the IL on May 25 due to ankle inflammation.

Stanton was enjoying an All-Star-caliber season before getting injured, slashing .285/.339/.523 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI in 40 games.

Since Stanton left during a May 24 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the Yanks have gone 7-2, including a 13-0 drubbing of the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

Hot hitting from MLB home run leader Aaron Judge has played a big role in New York's success, but perhaps the biggest season for the Yankees' winning ways has been the performance of their starting rotation.

Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon, Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery are all enjoying excellent seasons, and they have allowed the Bronx Bombers to continue winning even with a key hitter like Stanton missing time.

Stanton is in the midst of his fifth season with the Yankees, and he is coming off perhaps his best season with the club in 2021, when he hit .273 with 35 homers and 97 RBI.

Although Stanton has never been named an All-Star during his Yankees tenure, he was a four-time All-Star as a member of the Miami Marlins and won the 2017 National League MVP award after hitting .281 with 59 home runs and 132 RBI.

Stanton has largely been a designated hitter during his time with the Yanks, but that hasn't always been the case this season, as he has made 20 starts at DH and 19 in right field.

The Yankees announced Saturday that they are easing him back into the lineup as a DH against the Tigers, but he will immediately be leaned on as the cleanup hitter.

Stanton gives the likes of Judge, Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres some welcome protection in the lineup and makes the already-feared Yankees even more dangerous.

New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes said he was not offended by an insensitive remark made by Minnesota Twins broadcaster Jim Kaat.

"I'm sure, you know, he didn't really mean it, and people make mistakes, but it didn't offend me at all,'' Cortes said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "So, you know, I don't really have anything more than just that, honestly."

Cortes added the following in a tweet on Friday:

Kaat called Cortes "Nestor the Molestor" while working in the broadcast booth during Thursday's game between the Twins and Detroit Tigers.

"Obviously, we take these matters seriously and, like in all cases, will handle this internally and privately," Twins vice president of communications and content Dustin Morse said.

The AP noted Kaat plans on reaching out to Cortes to discuss his remark.

The 83-year-old broadcaster, who pitched from 1959 through 1983 for the Washington Senators, Twins, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, also apologized in October for comments he made about White Sox infielder Yoan Moncada.

He said teams should attempt to "get a 40-acre field full of" players who look like Moncada, which, as the AP pointed out, "reminded some viewers of the unfilled promise by the U.S. government that freed slaves would receive 40 acres and a mule following the Civil War."

As for Cortes, he has been excellent this season with a 1.50 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 68 strikeouts in 60 innings for a Yankees squad that is in first place in the American League East at 36-15.

New York Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson addressed criticism he's received from his team for directing a racist comment at Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.

"I think that was tough to hear. For sure," the 36-year-old told reporters Wednesday. "Just for the simple fact that, I pride myself on being a good teammate."

During a May 21 game between the Yankees and White Sox, Donaldson called Anderson "Jackie," referring to baseball legend Jackie Robinson. After the game, Anderson said it was "very disrespectful" and agreed when told that White Sox manager Tony La Russa had called it racist.

Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge told reporters that "it wasn't the right thing to do there." New York manager Aaron Boone said, "This is just somewhere in my opinion he should not be going. When I first heard the name Jackie mentioned, I was really taken aback and frankly upset about it myself."

Donaldson, who was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for the comment, has apologized to Anderson and the Robinson family and maintains he had no ill-intent.

"That's definitely not who I am by any stretch of the matter," he said Wednesday. "After the confrontation happened, I made sure that I talked to [teammates] I talked to Boone. I said, 'Hey, this is what happened. I don't know why this is all of a sudden getting blown out of proportion.'"

Donaldson added that he hopes to prove himself as a good teammate going forward.

"I think part of winning is having a good team chemistry," he said. "And I've taken pride like everywhere I went I've always tried to help people try to get better. I've tried to learn from my teammates as well. So that was definitely tough."

The New York Yankees media announced Thursday that infielder Matt Carpenter has signed a major league contract with the team and has been added to the 26-man roster. 

New York placed Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo and Kyle Higashioka on the COVID-19 injured list earlier this week. The Yankees placed Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day IL Wednesday because of ankle inflammation, and Gallo was reinstated.

This will mark Carpenter's first appearance in the big leagues in 2022. He signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers in March and accepted an assignment with their Triple-A affiliate at the end of spring training. 

In 21 games with the Round Rock Express, Carpenter hit .275/.379/.613 with six homers and 19 RBI. He was released by the Rangers on May 19 in a mutual decision caused by a lack of opportunity with the MLB team. 

Carpenter played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2011 to 2021, making three All-Star Games. He had a cup of coffee for the 2011 World Series champions with 19 plate appearances and became a staple in the team's lineup by the end of the 2012 campaign.

His best season was in 2013 when he led Major League Baseball with 126 runs, 199 hits and 55 doubles. Carpenter hit .318 (.873 OPS) with 11 home runs and 78 RBI.

The former TCU star also made the All-Star Game in 2014 and 2016 and paced the NL with 44 doubles in 2015. His .897 OPS in 2018 marked a career best.

Carpenter's bat began to decline in 2019 as injuries took their toll. He went on the injured list with a lower back strain and a right foot contusion, finishing the year hitting .226. The pandemic-shortened 2020 season ended with his batting average sinking below the Mendoza Line to .186 before bottoming out at .169 (.581 OPS) in 2021.

Carpenter had a vesting option for $18.5 million in 2022 if he reached 1,100 plate appearances in the previous two seasons, but he fell short and became a free agent.

Carpenter appeared in six postseasons and was a great Cardinals player who should find himself in the team's Hall of Fame someday.

The Yankees need depth because of Stanton's injury and the other players who are unavailable while on the COVID-19 injured list. Carpenter may not return to the peak levels he had with the Cardinals, but his stint in Triple-A with Texas is an encouraging sign that he might have something left.

New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson has issued a statement about the racist remark he directed toward Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson. 

In the statement, Donaldson said he apologized to Anderson over the weekend and his personal "view of that exchange hasn't changed and I absolutely meant no disrespect." 

Donaldson also issued an apology to Jackie Robinson's widow, Rachel, and Robinson's family "for any distress this incident may have caused."

Donaldson called Anderson "Jackie" on the field during the first inning of a game between the White Sox and Yankees on May 21. 

The two exchanged words on the field. In the fifth inning, Donaldson and White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal had a verbal exchange that led to both benches clearing. 

After the game, Anderson told reporters that Donaldson "made a disrespectful comment." Grandal said his reaction was sparked by what the Yankees third baseman said. 

"This game went through a period of time where a lot of those comments were made and I think we’re way past that," Grandal told reporters. "It’s just unacceptable. I just thought it was a low blow, and I want to make sure I got my team’s back. There’s no way you’re allowed to say something like that."

Donaldson attempted to downplay the significance of his comment. 

"Obviously he deemed that it was disrespectful," Donaldson said on Saturday. "Look, if he did, I apologize. There was no meaning by me saying that to him other than he’s called himself that. That’s it."

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Anderson said Donaldson made a similar comment when the two played against each other in 2019 "and I told him that we don’t have to talk again."

"I won’t speak to you, you won’t speak to me if that’s how you’re going to refer to me," Anderson added. "So I know he knew exactly what he was doing, because I already told him."

Anderson told Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein in 2019 that he "kind of" feels like today's Jackie Robinson because "he changed the game, and I feel like I'm getting to a point to where I need to change the game."

In the context of the story by Apstein, Anderson made his comment about feeling isolated in Major League Baseball due to the lack of Black players in the sport. 

Major League Baseball announced a one-game suspension for Donaldson and an undisclosed fine. He is appealing the decision.