With the postseason only a few weeks away, the timing could hardly be worse for the New York Yankees. They suffered a costly blow to the lineup on Friday night, as their $22 million center fielder was forced to leave the game early against the San Diego Padres. Following the matchup, manager Aaron Boone had little reassurance to offer his fans.
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“We’ll probably be getting imaging,” Boone told the reporters postgame, per YES Network on X. “It seems like an injury; not sure yet if it’s an IL or not. But certainly could be.”
During the Yankees’ extra-innings 3-2 loss, Trent Grisham felt initial discomfort in his right hamstring while trying to steal second base in the top of the second. However, he stayed in the game for the time being, but ran into trouble in the next half of the frame.
With the score tied at nil, Xander Bogaerts hit a bloop RBI single into the outfield. Grisham failed to make the catch after starting late on the two-out fly ball.
“I thought right off the bat I’d turn. I went, ‘Dang,'” the Yankees’ skipper said about the missed catch. “So that was my read right away…I think he was playing pretty deep. So, my original thought was off the bat, no.”
Once the inning ended, Grisham went straight to Mike Schuck, Director of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation for the Yankees. Then he disappeared down the tunnel and into the clubhouse.
Grisham did not come back for the rest of the game. Heliot Ramos took over for the 29-year-old.
“I don’t know, I can’t tell,” Grisham said when asked if he thought the play was manageable if his hamstring was not hurt. “I can’t tell how that would play out if I was feeling better.”
Grisham has been here before. A right hamstring strain forced Grisham to miss playing time this season. On June 12, Grisham pulled his right hamstring while running between first and second bases after hitting a two-run single off Mason Fluharty. The first hamstring injury kept Grisham out of the lineup until July 2026.
As he re-injured his leg, Grisham spoke about the disappointment of an injury this close to the postseason.
“It’s disappointing for sure, but that’s part of the game,” Grisham said on YES Network. “We know what we’re signing up for, so hopefully it’s nothing too problematic.”
Grisham is batting .211 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs this season. His defense has also slipped this season. Grisham’s -6 outs above average at centre field rank last in the league. He also holds the second-worst position in the league in terms of defensive runs saved (-7).
If Grisham does land on the IL, the Yankees can call up Spencer Jones to the lineup. Aaron Judge has also moved closer to his big-league return. However, he likely won’t start in the outfield from the get-go.