Eric Duncan Rejoins Trenton Thunder

Eric Duncan is rejoining the Yankees Double-A affiliate in Trenton and will be the team’s starting first baseman filling the roster spot vacated when injured shortstop Felix Escalona was placed on the Disabled List earlier Tuesday.

The arrival of Eric Duncan means that Trenton first baseman Shelley Duncan will move to leftfield and could seriously limit the playing time of off-season acquisition Vince Faison.

Shelley and Faison were unavailable for comment after Trenton's game.

Trenton manager Bill Masse said that Eric was in Trenton this evening [Tuesday], but had not yet officially joined the team.

“He’s in Trenton tonight. This game is a performance business and Eric hasn’t performed the we would have liked at Triple-A like Karstens, Pope, and DeSalvo."

“He’s gotta perform. This is probably his first setback ever,” said Masse of Eric Duncan.

Eric was hitting .209 with only four extra base hits in 31 games at Columbus and this was thought to be his breakout season after a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League this off-season. This was in spite of a middling performance at Double-A last year where he put up a .235 average to go along with 136 strikeouts.

Duncan will have to regroup in his return tour to Trenton if he is to regain the luster and hype that surrounded his arrive in the Garden State at the beginning of last season. Duncan never played up to those expectations that came along with being haled as the 17th best prospect in all of the Eastern League by Baseball America in 2005 and it remains to be seen if he can turn things around in 2006.

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