ST. LOUIS — Adam Frazier's search began with a message to Brian Esposito, the manager at Triple-A Indianapolis, hours after learning of his demotion to the minors June 10. Frazier, a starter for the Pirates in 93 games last season, was reaching out to reassure Esposito he'd be in the lineup the following night.
Some major leaguers don't report for a few days. Not Frazier. He was taking ground balls at second base in Indianapolis less than 24 hours later. The 26-year-old fixed a flaw in his swing thanks to a text message from his father later that month; however, it's his improved defense that could make his stay in the majors permanent.
Although Gregory Polanco's season-ending injury required Frazier to play right field in an 8-7 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night, he's expected to spend most of his time at second base the rest of the season. After all, Frazier's shown Clint Hurdle that he's no longer a liability at the position and could be a regular there in 2019.
"The opportunity is there to show what I can do," Frazier told DKPittsburghSports.com. "I need to make the most of this month and finish strong. Have some momentum going into next year."
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