Will we ever see Clint and Thairo again?

When Giancarlo Ellsbury recently went down with a twisted giblet, the lone brisket of hope was that it seemed to open up a slot for Clint Frazier, the cartoonish, designer-shoed, former future Yankee legend. Instead, the Death Star promoted OF Mike Tauchman. 

When Brian Cashman explained the move - the franchise was not punishing Frazier for taking three days to haul his shit to Scranton; it was because of extra foul territory that needed to be covered on the team's National Lampoon road trip to England - it seemed to open up a slot for Clint in the upcoming Subway Series. Instead, the Yankees kept Tauchman.

When manager Aaron Boone decided to rest Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu before the all-star break, it seemed a sure bet for the recall of Thairo Estrada, who had performed so well earlier this year. Instead, they elevated 27-year-old Breyvic Valera to play against the Tampa/Montreal Rays.

Nothing against Tauchman or Valera - valued lug nuts, they - but it's starting to look as though Clint and Thairo will assume the otherworldly fate of Tyler Wade, that is... vanishing into the moors of Central Pennsylvania, never to be heard from again. Wade already looks like the 2019 version of Brigadoon Refsnyder, the prospect who mysteriously appears once every 10 years, bringing romance and hope to visitors, and who then - poof - becomes an empty locker.

What's distressing here - (and let's be clear; there is little to be distressed about these days) - is the fear that Cooperstown Cashman is ghosting Frazier and Estrada to mute fan anger when the pair are inevitably traded for some glue-factory warhorse who strangely fulfills an anagram for "Sonny Gray." (Granny Soy.)  

In any trade, Lucifer shows up in the agate. If When the Yankees peddle Frazier and Estrada, maybe they'll get their Game One starter in return. Who knows... maybe it will work! Either way, the Gammonites and YES men (and women) of NYC will unanimously hail the deal as brilliant and necessary. They always do. And sometimes, that's the problem.

So when it happens, let's remember what Cashman will have given away.

With the Yankees this spring, Frazier, age 24, whacked 11 HRs in 191 at bats, hitting .283. With runners in scoring position, he hit .375. Yeah, he had one rancid, nationally televised, horror show in RF, but it's not as if MLB was fitting Giancarlo for a gold glove. Frazier helped carry the Yankees through a dark time without Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and the china doll himself. If he's been treading water in Scranton, (hitting .234) can you blame him? This is his third year there.

Estrada, 23, hit .280, with 3 HRs in 50 ABs with the Yankees in May-June. He played excellent defense at three infield positions and stole two bases. At Scranton, he's hitting .266. What did he do wrong? Did he fail to jiggle the handle?

Both came up big for the Yankees in times of need. Both will likely be rewarded with a ticket out of town. 

Then there is Tyler Wade - aka Brigadoon II. You might be surprised to learn that he is only 24, same age as Nestor (Octavio) Cortes Jr. At Scranton, he's hitting .311 - which would be sixth in the International League, if he had enough qualifying ABs. (Fun Facts: Rob Refsnyder is 3rd in the league, at .321, and the guy the Yankees received for him - Ryan McBroom - is 7th, at .310.) Though he's been gone for months, Wade is still listed among the Yankee SB leaders, with five. (At Scranton, he has 9.) If for the post-season, the Yankees need a pinch-running base-stealer, he could get the call. (Or he might still be odd man out again; an OF named Billy Burns has 11 SB in 13 tries.)

Listen: We can't hate trades before they're made. And we all know that a major face lift is coming for the rotation. Neither Marcus Stroman nor Max Scherzer will come cheap. Still, I'd hate to think we're ghosting Frazier and Estrada simply to lessen the anger when the two leave for some rag-armed salary dump, whose astral twin could be an anagram to Granny Soy.