The Yankees’ calculated roster move has little to do with recent performances and was more about the overall construction of the team. The franchise chose to DFA a veteran slugger to manage roster squeeze amid an inspiring early season. But manager Aaron Boone has described the difficulty of doing the same, given the recent turn of events for the player.

“Difficult decision, just because I feel like Randal’s come in here and fit in really well,” Boone said on Wednesday, “I feel like, despite numbers-wise a slow start, he’s shown us the at-bats we’ve wanted to see from him when he’s got his opportunities against left-handed pitching.”

Randal Grichuk signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in February 2026 with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. He was added to the active roster on Opening Day and has played 16 games for New York. The 34-year-old had a lackluster early stint this season, going 0-for-15 until he turned it around with 6-for-16 in the last few games. 

Grichuk was originally brought in to help the Yankees against left-handed pitching. But he had a subpar slash line of .194/.212/.323 this season. However, according to Boone, the right-hander was just fitting into his role. 

Unfortunately, the club DFA’s him on April 29. Many suspected the reason to be the veteran’s performance. Even the manager showed faith in him just the day before. 

“I even told him [Tuesday] night, he can still do this. He can still play this game at a high level. It was hard, though, because he fit in well with this group.” Boone said.

The Yankees had been shuffling the roster since Opening Day. Jasson Dominguez was optioned to the minors, and they called him up when Giancarlo Stanton was injured. Right-handed pitcher Cade Winquest was sent to Triple-A on April 10, before he could play a game for New York. 

However, now that Grichuk is DFA’d, bringing in Elmer Rodriguez makes the team more balanced. Although the pitcher had a 4.50 ERA with 4 hits and 2 runs from 4 IPs in his outing on Thursday, his inclusion makes a perfect 13-13 division for the 26-man roster. 

This makes Grichuk’s DFA a move toward better roster construction than a performance-based demotion. And it makes more sense since production isn’t a concern for a team sitting comfortably at the top of the AL East. But the roster crunch isn’t over yet. 

Return of key players might create further squeeze for Aaron Boone

Anthony Volpe is nearing his 20-day rehab clock. A partially torn labrum sidelined him in October 2025. He is currently playing in Double-A, where he played 9 innings as a shortstop for the second straight day. The Yankees are expected to decide his Thursday game, which is the 17th day of his rehab. Aaron Boone hasn’t given a verdict on him yet. 

“We got this game, and he’s playing in Somerset today. We’ll see,” the manager said. Maybe we’ll have to wait for Monday, till his 20-day rehab is complete, to get a confirmation. 

It is unclear what position he will take on the active roster. But his return might invite more complexities than solutions, given the steady production from José Caballero. 

He is filling in at shortstop in the absence of Volpe while slashing .267/.313/.400 this season. Caballero is also leading the American League with 12 stolen bases. While Volpe seems to be recovering brilliantly, Caballero has added a different dimension to complicate the roster decision. 

The Yankees had struggled against LHPs with a .200 AVG this season. And that’s why Grichuk was brought in, in the first place. If we only measure that one criterion, Volpe might be a better alternative with a .290 AVG in 2025. 

However, it’s not the only criterion. And Aaron Boone might still have a lot to figure out. But a 20-11 record in 2026 means they need not hurry.