The New York Yankees have decided to end the Randal Grichuk experiment.
New York signed Grichuk to a minor-league deal, and he ended up making the Opening Day roster. However, Grichuk struggled to begin the year and the Yankees have now decided to DFA the outfielder to make room for top pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez, who will start on Wednesday.
“Prior to today’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves: Recalled RHP Elmer Rodríguez (#71) from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Designated OF Randal Grichuk for assignment,” the Yankees announced on X.
Grichuk has been in the MLB since 2014 and has appeared in 1377 games, but at this stage of his career, he is more of a fourth outfielder. However, with the Yankees, he’s struggled to produce, which led to him being DFA’d, especially with Jasson Dominguez called up earlier in the week.
Grichuk appeared in 16 games with the Yankees, and he hit .194 with 0 home runs and 2 RBIs.
Following the news, Yankees fans reacted to Grichuk being DFA’d, and many seemed happy with the decision.
“THERE WE GO!!! Grichuk was dead weight,” a fan wrote.
“Grichuk should never have been signed to begin with. That was just an obsession with matchups,” a fan added.
“The urgency this year is amazing,” a fan added.
Yankees fans are glad with how New York’s front office is handling business this season, and Grichuk being DFA’d proves it.
“Grichuk goes. You knew it would be him. He actually had a decent last week or so but it wasn’t going to be enough for the Yankees to hold onto him,” a fan wrote.
“SEE YA! Grichuk was just taking up space,” a fan added.
Dominguez Takes Grichuk’s Spot
Grichuk being DFA’d seemed inevitable after Jasson Dominguez was recalled.
Dominguez will need playing time, and Yankees captain Aaron Judge expects the young outfielder to make an impact in the lineup.
“(Stanton is) a big force in the middle of our lineup; big RBI production,” said Judge. “But I’m hoping it’s a small stint. I think he was able to catch it early, hopefully. He’ll be back up there. When you call up a guy like Jasson Domínguez, who can fill that role by DHing and playing some outfield for us, it’s going to be huge.”
Dominguez said he felt like he proved everything in Triple-A, and Judge expects him to make a statement with the Yankees.
“I think he’ll show up here ready to prove some people wrong and kind of send a message,” Judge said. “I’m excited about it
Dominguez is off to a 1-for-8 start since being recalled.
Yankees Set to Start Rodriguez
The other move by DFA’ing Grichuk was calling up Elmer Rodriguez to start on Wednesday.
After being called up, Rodriguez shared his excitement and said it would be a dream come true.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” Rodriguez said. “To get the chance to debut, especially in a Yankees uniform, is something I’ve always dreamed of. I’m happy to be here.”
Rodriguez is 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA in 4 starts this season in Triple-A. He’s the team’s third-ranked prospect and second-ranked pitching prospect, just behind Carlos Lagrange.
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