Yankees castoff Clint Frazier settles for minor-league deal after brutal and bizarre 2022

In many ways, Clint Frazier’s 2022 wasn’t all that different from his five injury-filled and controversial seasons with the Yankees. As usual, the redheaded outfielder made headlines for struggling at the plate, getting hurt and spouting off playing for the Chicago Cubs and their Triple-A affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa.

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There was also some comedy when Frazier changed his name.

Turns out Jackson (his middle name) was no better than Clint.

Maybe this year things finally will work out for a former top prospect who mostly has been a bust as a big leaguer due to injuries.

Frazier landed a new opportunity on Friday, signing a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers.

The pact comes with an invite to big-league spring training with the Rangers, who train in Surprise, Ariz.

Frazier, 28, spent parts of five seasons with the Yankees from 2017-21 after joining the organization in a June 2016 trade while he was playing Double-A ball as a Cleveland Indians farmhand.

At times, Frazier looked like he would live up to his billing as a future star, but aftereffects from a concussion early into 2018 spring training led to a lot of missed time for the next four seasons and affected his play when he wasn’t on the injured list.

All along, Frazier created controversy.

The first was during 2017 spring training when he had told to cut his hair so that he’d abide by the team’s appearance policy. At one point, pitcher CC Sabathia started growing a beard to protest. That same year Frazier denied a report that he had asked a beat writer if the Yankees would “un-retire” franchise legend Mickey Mantle’s number so that he could switch from 77 to 7.

Frazier also angered management and the coaching staff on June 2, 2019 when he had a terrible game in right field during an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game, then blew off the media afterward, leaving teammates to answer for him. Two days later, the organization was infuriated when Frazier, after being instructed to apologize to media, began a news conference in Toronto by saying he wouldn’t.

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Frazier’s best season with the Yankees was in 2019 when he batted .267 with 12 homers and 38 RBI in 69 games, 59 as a starter. He began 2020 as a regular for the first time, but fairly quickly played his way back into a platoon role.

Overall, Frazier batted .239 for the Yankees with 29 homers and 97 RBI in 228 games.

The Yankees finally cut ties on Nov. 23, 2021 by releasing Frazier.

Initially, Frazier was giddy about leaving the Yankees for the Cubs, but his season turned out to be another miserable one on many fronts.

Here’s a brief recap:

-- Frazier got off to a slow start with the Cubs, batting .143 with no homers and no RBI in his first 10 games before being shelved.

-- Frazier was on the injured list from April 20 to May 28.

-- Frazier ripped the good people of Des Moines’ way of living was he was there rehabbing. “All they have is corn and beer,” he told NBCsports.com. Not my style. I didn’t drink or eat much there.”

-- Frazier rejoined the Cubs and hit .313 with one RBI in his first nine games back, raising his season average to .216 and then right before his club headed to Yankee Stadium for a weekend series. “I like it here,” Frazier told the Chicago Sun-Times. “You had to be a cookie-cutter version to be on that (Yankees) 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 was designated for assignment on June 10 after reporting to Yankee Stadium ahead of a Cubs-Yankees’ series opener. “He was upset,” Cubs manager David Ross said after the roster move. “Emotional would be a good word.”

-- Frazier passed on free agency June 17 to remain in the Cubs’ organization as a non-roster Triple-A player back in corn and beer country.

-- Frazier announced his name change on June 28 before a Triple-A game. “I’m not going to legally change my name by any means,” Frazier told the Des Moises Register. “And personally, I don’t care what anybody calls me because I know it’s weird for people to look at me and call me a different name than they have been for however long they have been. Clint, sometimes, is hard for people to understand. A lot of people call me Cliff.”

-- Frazier struggled badly in Triple-A, batting ..190 with six homers and 35 RBI in 66 games with the Iowa Cubs.

-- Frazier became a free agent after the 2022 season, then went to the Dominican Republic hoping to raise his stock playing winter ball and flopped again going 2-for-22 with three walks in six games.