NEW YORK � This could be just another cameo for Clint Frazier.
Or he could make it tough on the Yankees, using a limited window to make a grand statement.
"I feel like I'm the best player...right now than I've ever been," Frazier said Wednesday before his first game of the year. "I've worked on a lot of things and I'm ready to show it off."
On cue, Frazier homered in his first at-bat of a 6-3 win against the Atlanta Braves at empty Yankee Stadium.
Subbing in right field for Aaron Judge, getting a maintenance day due to what the club described as lower body tightness, Frazier (3-for-4) also singled and doubled out of the No. 8 lineup spot.
DJ LeMahieu's four-hit game, and the work of six relievers pushed the Yanks (12-6) toward a two-game sweep of the Braves (11-9). Boone's club is 6-0 at home.
And in another sign of Gary Sanchez's awakening at the plate, the slugging catcher led off the second inning with a homer of Braves starter Huascar Yoa.
Frazier followed with his shot over the left-center field wall, producing the Yankees' first back-to-back homers of the season.
"I think he can be an impact player in this league right now," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier Wednesday, adding that it's up to Frazier to compete for at-bats.
"My expectation is that...he's prepared every day for whatever that role continues to evolve into. But when his number is called, I expect him to be a serious threat in our lineup."
