SAN DIEGO — Trent Grisham’s return to Petco Park didn’t go as planned, as the Yankees’ center fielder was removed from Friday’s series-opener in the bottom of the third inning with right hamstring discomfort.
The former Padre has battled hamstring injuries each of the last two seasons. A right-side strain put him on the injured list on June 13 earlier this year, but Grisham has repeatedly said that he is okay since returning on July 3.
Grisham, baseball’s slowest center fielder in terms of sprint speed, exited on Friday after failing to catch a 255-foot flyball to center in the bottom of the second inning. With Grisham playing deep and unable to get to the ball in time, Xander Bogaerts picked up an RBI single.
When the inning concluded, Grisham returned to the Yankees’ dugout, tapped a trainer, and headed for Petco Park’s visiting clubhouse. He was then replaced by Heliot Ramos, who took over in right as Spencer Jones shifted to center.
While it’s too soon to know if Grisham will go back on the IL, his injury comes with the Yankees anticipating a roster crunch. It’s possible, though still undecided, that Aaron Judge will return from a fractured rib during the club’s upcoming homestand.
Demoting Jones or cutting Amed Rosario would be among the potential corresponding moves for Judge if the Yankees are healthy at that point.
Jones, however, has made a strong impression since his second of three call-ups this season. The San Diego native entered Friday’s homecoming with a .250 average, an .804 OPS, nine home runs, 26 RBI, eight stolen bases and a 122 wRC+ over his last 57 games. And while he has had some lapses in center, he has the speed and athleticism to make up for some of his mistakes, unlike Grisham.
Jones has also hit southpaws better than the slumping Grisham, a fellow lefty, which is partly why there have been some public calls for the rookie to take playing time from the veteran.
Grisham’s declining defense, surely accelerated by his hamstring issues, has also factored into that conversation. The two-time Gold Glover entered Friday’s game last in Outs Above Average (-6) and second-to-last in Defensive Runs Saved (-7).
The impending free agent, who returned to the Yankees this past offseason on a qualifying offer worth just over $22 million, is also hitting .211 with a .703 OPS and 18 home runs.