The New York Yankees notched a big win over the Mariners at the Stadium on Tuesday night, 4-1, behind a strong effort from Ryan Weathers and the bullpen, giving the team three wins in its last four games. And in a bit of added good news, the Yankees for a second straight two-hit game from center fielder Trent Grisham, who was batting .209 as recently as Saturday, but has pulled himself up to .216. Grisham had a double and two RBIs on the night.
Grisham has been a major disappointment at the plate over the course of the season, following last year’s remarkable 34-homer breakout season. He has 13 home runs and has not displayed anything like the consistency he showed in 2025. The Yankees were circumspect, too, and wound up giving Grisham a contract worth the $21 million qualifying offer, on just a one-year deal.
But even with Grisham’s struggles at the plate, there’s another issue that has been especially bothersome for Yankees observers: His performance in center field.
Trent Grisham Can’t Run
Grisham was in center field again on Tuesday, even as the much speedier rookie Spencer Jones was in right field. The New York Post pointed out on Wednesday morning that Grisham is a shadow of the former defensive center fielder he was in San Diego back in 2020 and 2022, when he won Gold Gloves. He is only 29 years old, but still dealing with the after-effects of a hamstring injury.
The Post’s Mark Sanchez wrote, “Among 59 outfielders who had seen at least 10 opportunities in center this season, Trent Grisham ranked 59th in sprint speed.
“By the same metric, which measures a player’s top running speed, Spencer Jones entered play Tuesday No. 39 of 521 major leaguers, an elite athlete who would be one of the faster center fielders in baseball if he were a center fielder.”
With Grisham obviously struggling to get to hard-hit balls, especially over his head, the question for Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been, why not try Jones in center field?
Yankees Not Considering Trent Grisham Move
Speaking on the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast on Tuesday, though, Boone said he is not even considering moving Grisham out of center field, no matter what the speed numbers look like.
“No,” Boone said. “I feel like he is out best center fielder.”
Boone revealed, too, that he has not even been working Grisham out at either corner outfield spot, and that the last time he did so was 2024. In other words, if you’re hoping the manager will relent and test out Jones in center, it is not happening.
Yankees Happy With ‘Mostly Reliable’ Defense
Boone went on to explain why he does not want to move the Yankees’ slow-footed veteran around this year. It’s all about reliability.
Asked how he sees Grisham’s defense, Boone said: “Mostly good, mostly really reliable. Not at the Gold Glove level from a few years ago. But I think some of the is because, even going back to last year, some of those were in Sacramento which is kid of a wonky minor-league park where the wind is blowing, and there’s a stretch where he is kind of playing through that hammy. …
“You get dinged with some gappers that really move the needle. So I think that has hurt him a little bit. And then, there’s been a couple of those gappers that he hasn’t hit, but I trust him exclusively out there. He is really good at it, made some great plays out there. But to get to that Gold Glove conversation, you’ve got to consistently make those separating plays.”
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