The Yankees lost in walk-off fashion to San Diego on Friday night, but they might not have played extras had it not been for a misplay that allowed the Padres to score their only run of the initial nine innings. With two outs in the second, Xander Bogaerts got under a pitch from Max Fried on what could charitably be described as a flare to center. It was a ball that most center fielders would've at minimum come close to and have the chance for a diving catch.
But for the Yankees, Trent Grisham was in center field, and while he was once an elite defender, he has been far from that in 2026. It didn't help that he was playing a guy with an 82 OPS+ and only 11 homers far too deep, but regardless, he was clearly not moving well on the play. The ball dipped in with ease and Ty France scored. When the half-inning ended, Grisham spoke to the team trainer and disappeared down the dugout tunnel. Soon, the Yankees announced that Grisham was dealing with discomfort in his right hamstring, the same one that sent him to the IL earlier in 2026. It's been an uneven year on the whole for Grisham, who has hit .211/.308/.395 with 18 homers but only a 95 OPS+.
Now, we know that Grisham is indeed heading back to the IL. Jasson Domínguez will fly from Scranton to San Diego to rejoin the team and take Grisham's spot on the roster. The former top prospect had an injury of his own earlier in 2026, but when given the chance to play, he did not acquit himself well, batting just .230/.270/.380 with a 79 OPS+ and exactly 0.0 rWAR.
It might only be a short-term stay for Domínguez since it seems like Aaron Judge is tracking to return to the team soon (though New York has made no announcements) and there's only so much roster flexibility at the moment. But for now, Domínguez will serve as outfield depth, though Spencer Jones will likely get the lion's share of time in center with Grisham out. Cody Bellinger is a candidate for some center field time as well, though he did bang himself up a bit on a foul ball last night too.
The Yankees have released a Sunday update on Grisham's injury, and it's not a promising one. It's a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which—as beat reporter Greg Joyce noted —cost him three weeks last time around in June. Being that there are three weeks remaining in regular season, it's easy to put two and two together.
And even if Grisham is somewhat back up to speed by three weeks through, would it actually make sense to throw him straight into a playoff game? Rehab games aren't available at that time, and the Arizona Fall League option isn't there until October 3rd either. It wasn't that long ago that the Yankees tried to get Matt Carpenter and DJ LeMahieu healthy in time for the 2022 playoffs, only for it to end in disaster (Carpenter's 1-for-12 with nine K's) or absence anyway (LeMahieu). Jones can be frustrating at time, but he may just be the safest option regardless come October. To quote one of Aaron Boone's most overused phrases this year, "We'll see."
