The Yankees’ 2026 roster shuffle continues. Jasson Dominguez got optioned to the minors on opening day, only to be called up again to replace the injured Giancarlo Stanton. Cade Winquest gets DFAed without playing a single game with the Yankees in MLB. And now Wednesday comes as another exciting day for the Yankees.

It’s set to be the MLB debut for Elmer Rodriguez, a right-handed pitching prospect ranked as the third-best prospect in the Yankees organization. However, the Yankees had to clear roster space to accommodate Rodriguez, and they did so by designating a veteran outfielder for assignment, leaving the Bleacher Creatures divided.

“Yankees have DFA’d Randal Grichuk,” Talkin’ Yanks shared via X.

Grichuk reportedly signed a minor league deal with the Yankees last Winter. However, despite his poor spring outing (.125 with 3 hits in 24 at-bats), he still made it to the active roster, but with no gain. While he was onboarded as a platoon to Trent Grisham, Grichuk batted a meager .194/.212/.323 from 33 plate appearances this season.

The worst part was that Grichuk went hitless in his first nine games with the Yankees. After a hitless game against the Angels, manager Aaron Boone even defended him. “He’s a professional hitter who has had almost no consistent at-bats. He’ll be fine.” But surely the Yankees front office was not fine with how the 34-year-old was batting.

Grichuk’s 2026 numbers were far from a veteran who has 212 career home runs and hits well against left-handed pitching. His career .268/.318/. The 498 line against southpaws was another reason for the Yankees to sign him, but he had yet to hit such against the lefties with the Yankees. So, it was definitely a tough decision for the Yankees to put the curtain down on Grichuk.

Still, Grichuk’s decision could have a favorable impact on the Yankees’ roster.

For the unversed, the Yankees had 14 position players and 12 pitchers in the last few days due to their delayed decision on Stanton. However, just as Stanton was placed on the IL, replacing Grichuk with Elmar Rodriguez made the Yankees’ roster balanced again. A perfect 13:13 ratio of position players and pitchers is now on the team. That means they now have their bullpen at full strength and a four-man bench.

However, even though Grichuk’s release means Dominguez would stay in the active roster for hitting depth, and it made way for Rodriguez, who had a 2.51 ERA in the minors, fans are divided in their opinions.

Yankees’ fans are divided over the latest roster decision

A few fans wonder if keeping him in the minors would have been more productive for the Yankees. “Should have just sent him to AAA if anything, he’s starting to play well,” one fan said. Surely it’s hard to let go of a slugger who had a career .268 average. However, the Yankees have the option to option him to the minors. For now, Grichuk would go through the waivers protocol, and if he clears that, he could conceptually be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Maybe his power-hitting in the minors could help the Yankees have a backup in case of urgency in a 162-game-long season. “That sucks, I kinda liked him,” another shared disagreement.

However, a few others remain hopeful, especially with Dominguez. “Does this keep Dominguez in the majors?” One user asks. “Making the uncomfortable decisions early. Looks like Dominguez is up to stay if he performs,” another added.

Since Dominguez was optioned after his .300+ spring stats, fans always rallied for his call-up. While Stanton’s injury offered that opportunity, Grichuk’s release would just keep him in the majors for a long time. By DFA-ing Grichuk, the Yankees could keep Dominguez up to continue DHing against right-handed starters. At least till Stanton is back.

Dominguez is 1-for-8 this week while starting a DH. So, a minor-like stat could only ensure a long stay in the majors for Dominguez.

“This, of course, will guarantee that at some point this season he will have a meaningful hit against the Yanks!” Another fan said.

Well, call it unfortunate or a coincidence, but any player getting released by the Yankees for a rough outing ends up putting up better stats against them. Remember when Oswald Peraza was traded to the Angels last year for a rough patch? He batted .500 with two homers and four RBI against the Yankees this year. Fans are concerned if Grichik would come back the same with another team.

Nonetheless, the Yankees proved that they are more ruthless this year when it comes to roster management. But would that be productive in reality? Time will answer.