The Yankees have positive news on the recovery of center fielder Trent Grisham from a right hamstring injury, which he sustained for a second time this year in San Diego against the Padres two weeks ago. Yankees beat writer Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News Sports reported in a tweet last night that Grisham “has gotten far in his running progression and could be in play by the end of the season, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone”, Gary Phillips tweeted at 7:49 PM Eastern Time. Grisham, age 29, returned to the Yankees on a one-year, $ 22 million qualifying offer that he accepted this past offseason as a free agent in November of 2025.
Grisham is having a disappointing season, with both his offense and defense a step back from his 2025 season, when he hit a career-high 34 home runs with an .812 OPS. In 121 games in 2026, Grisham is hitting .211 with 18 home runs, 59 RBI, a .308 OBP, a .395 SLG, and a .703 OPS. Aside from the offensive woes, Grisham has taken a deep step back in his defensive metrics as a big league center fielder. Grisham currently has a -6 OAA, outs above average in center field, which places him in the bottom nine percentile, according to Baseball Savant. His arm strength has been slightly above average this year at 86.7 mph, which places him in the 65th percentile amongst outfielders, per Baseball Savant.
Grisham’s Concerning Outfield Decline
Another issue is sprint speed, which is also below average for Grisham. It’s resulted in Grisham having awkward routes to fly balls he would normally catch. Whether that is the effect of the hamstring injuries he dealt with this year or another factor is up for individual interpretation. Trent Grisham was originally a part of the Juan Soto deal between the Yankees and Padres in 2023. Back then, Grisham was more of a 4th-outfielder type—a guy who had some untapped power and could play well above-average defense in the outfield.
Grisham had 15 and 17 home run seasons for the Padres from 2022-23 before being traded to the Yankees. He was originally drafted in the 1st round (15th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2015 MLB Draft out of North Richland Hills, Texas. The Yankees currently have 24-year-old rookie outfielder, 6’7 Spencer Jones, in center field in light of Grisham’s absence.
Yankees Outfield Questions Heading Into The Postseason
The Yankees last night had Heliot Ramos in right field due to Aaron Judge being removed from the series finale in Minnesota for what would be diagnosed as a right calf strain. The Yankees placed him on the 10-day IL yesterday before their first game in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, which they would go on to win 9-2. The Yankees outfield faces a lot of questions this final week of the season, with just nine games remaining: two more against Arizona, then four against Tampa, and three against Baltimore to finish the 2026 regular season.
The Yankees have a lot of big decisions and questions to navigate with the outfield mix in the 2026 postseason as they monitor Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham’s health, as well as analyze the current trio of outfielders (Bellinger, Jones, Ramos) and their impact in the starting lineup. With Spencer Jones having an over .800 OPS in 70 games since his third call-up stint, these aren’t easy decisions. Grisham’s role on the playoff roster, when he eventually returns as expected, remains unclear. Will he start in playoff games over Spencer Jones? That’s the big question.
Yankees’ Get Big Trent Grisham Update As Playoffs Near