NEW YORK — Todd Frazier of the New York Yankees said Monday the condition of the young girl injured by his foul ball last week has improved and she could be leaving a hospital soon.

The girl was hurt by a 105 mph drive off his bat into Yankee Stadium’s lower deck behind third base last Wednesday and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Frazier has been in contact with her father.

“We’ve been texting back and forth. He said she’s doing a lot better,” Frazier said. “He said the hard stuff is behind now and hopefully she’ll be getting out (soon).”

Frazier plans to meet with the family.

“The father has been very gracious – enough to call me and text me back,” Frazier said. “We’ve been having a really good relationship so far. I’ve still been praying for her every day and hoping for the best.”

Major League Baseball issued recommendations for protective netting or screens in December 2015, encouraging teams to have it in place between the ends of the dugouts closest to home plate.

Advertisement

The New York Mets went beyond that at midseason this year, and Cincinnati, Colorado, Detroit and San Diego have said they intend to expand protective netting before next season. San Francisco said it anticipates doing the same.

The Yankees said last month they are “seriously exploring” additional netting for 2018.

n Luis Severino has been lined up to start next Tuesday’s AL wild-card game for the Yankees. Severino, 13-6 with a 3.03 ERA, will start the wild-card game on five days’ rest, something he’s said is a preference when possible.

NATIONALS: Outfielder Bryce Harper has flu-like symptoms and remained out of the lineup.

Any plans the Nationals had of Harper returning in Philadelphia were dashed because he wasn’t feeling well. Manager Dusty Baker said Sunday the team was still trying to decide whether to reinstate Harper from the disabled list, but Harper spent much of the day receiving treatment.

Harper has been sidelined with a bone bruise in his hyperextended left knee since slipping on a wet base while running out a grounder Aug. 12. He has missed 42 games.

Washington has clinched the NL East title, and the goal is to get Harper some at-bats during the final week of the regular season in preparation for the playoffs. The Nationals will open a best-of-five division series at home Oct. 6.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.