Yankees' Todd Frazier says expanded netting should go up this year

TORONTO -- After speaking with the family of the young girl hit in the face by his foul ball,New York Yankeesthird basemanTodd Frazier thinks teams should move quickly to expand protective netting at major league ballparks.

"I think 2018, that's too late," Frazier said Friday. "It should be up sooner than that."

Frazier spoke Thursday to the father of the girl struck by his 105 mph foul ball in Wednesday's game against Minnesota at Yankee Stadium. The girl remains hospitalized. Frazier said her father told him she is "OK."

"He told me not to stress over it. We understand how upset you were. It's nobody's fault and just one of those freak accidents,'' Frazier said before Friday's game against Toronto. "I think they're going to do more tests the next couple days and then, hopefully, she can get out of there.''

Frazier and other players from the Yankees and Twins kneeled in prayer after the girl was hit. Frazier said Thursday's five-minute chat won't be the final time he is in touch with the family.

"I'm probably going to call him every day, just to see how she's doing,'' Frazier said. "Eventually I'm going to want to meet up with them. He was happy about that.''

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

The Mets extended netting beyond the outfield ends of the dugouts this summer. The Yankees said in August they "are seriously exploring extending the netting prior to the 2018 season.''

Officials in Cincinnati and San Diego have said they will expand netting before next season, and Colorado said it is in discussions with vendors about additional netting.