Randal Grichuk, designated for assignment by the New York Yankees on April 29, is hitting .400 with the Chicago White Sox heading into Monday’s American League Division Series Game 2. Chicago has opened its first postseason since 2021 with four straight wins.
The Yankees gave up on Grichuk after 16 games after signing him as a free agent in February, which raised a question about how a failed platoon tryout became a valued October bat for Chicago.
Grichuk pinch-hit in the wild-card opener at Houston, stayed in at designated hitter and went 2-for-3 in a 6-3 victory Sept. 29. Chicago won 7-3 the next day to sweep the Astros, its first postseason series win since 2005, according to USA Today. He then started in left field in ALDS Game 1 at Cleveland, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout in a 3-0 win Oct. 3. In Game 2 he came off the bench and drew a walk, but later struck out in the eighth inning with Chicago leading 4-2. The White Sox won the game 4-3.
Grichuk, 35, was born in Rosenberg, Texas, and the Los Angeles Angels drafted him 24th overall in 2009 out of Lamar Consolidated High School. He debuted April 28, 2014, and has played for eight franchises, hitting .253 with 227 home runs and 675 RBI in 1,477 games. A five-year, $52 million extension with Toronto in April 2019 was followed by a team-best 31 home runs and 80 RBI that season.
Grichuk’s Production for the White Sox
Grichuk hit .299/.328/.598 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI in 101 games after joining Chicago. He led the majors with a .654 slugging percentage against left-handers (minimum 170 plate appearances) and hit .341 with a 1.045 OPS in late-and-close spots.
The $1.25 million signing has been a “godsend,” according to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, as reported by Sporting News. Grichuk expected a short stay until Austin Hays returned from injury, but he called the fit a “perfect marriage,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His mostly much younger teammates call him “Unc.”
On Sept. 12 in St. Louis, he homered with Chicago down to its last strike in a 6-5 win, according to MLB.com. His go-ahead, two-run homer Sept. 27 lifted Chicago to a 4-2 season-finale win over Colorado, according to Reuters. The White Sox finished 84-78, one game behind Cleveland in the AL Central, and earned their first playoff berth in five years.
Why New York Yankees Released Randal Grichuk
New York signed him to a minor-league deal with a spring training invitation Feb. 25, according to MLB Trade Rumors. The contract paid $2.5 million if he made the team, which he did, taking the Opening Day roster as a right-handed platoon bat against left-handers.
But Grichuk hit .194 with no home runs, two RBI and 10 strikeouts in 16 games. New York designated him for assignment April 29 to clear room for pitcher Elmer Rodriguez, according to MLB Trade Rumors. He rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, instead electing free agency on May 1.
Chicago signed him May 4, the day Hays went on the injured list with a calf strain, giving Grichuk a one-year, $1.25 million contract, according to Reuters. Chicago’s share is the $780,000 league minimum, prorated to roughly $616,452, according to Spotrac contract data. The Yankees remained on the hook for the balance, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Grichuk becomes a free agent after 2026.
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