With Grisham's Offensive Success, Another Yankee Might See a Decreased Role

The New York Yankees are used to having their fair share of offensive highlights. This year is no different, both in expected and unexpected ways.

Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, hitting an MLB-leading .400 batting average, is worthy of being front and center of conversations amongst Yankees fans and the sports world as a whole.

But Judge's historic start and pursuit of the hitting triple crown has been complimented nicely with Trent Grisham having one of the most surprising starts in the MLB.

Grisham, 28, is slashing .292/.376/.640 for a 1.017 OPS. He had nine home runs in his entire 2024 New York campaign. He's had ten this season with just 89 at bats.

New York Yankees Player Trent Grisham Hitting A Baseball At Yankee Stadium — May 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pinch hitter Trent Grisham (12) follows through on a game tying two run home run against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Grisham was viewed as a bench player entering the 2025 season who's elite defense in the outfield would be worth a spot in the lineup. Now, he's arguably the second most important offensive player in manager Aaron Boone's arsenal behind Judge.

But that development might have an impact on other players.

Grishman being in the lineup means someone else isn't. And there's a couple of names that come to mind: outfielder Jasson Domínguez

Domínguez, 22, is in his first full year on the Yankees' major league roster. His time in the majors over the past two years has been very up and down when he's actually healthy, which has not been often. This spring training, he showed some defensive struggles in left field that caught the concern of New York coaches - his natural position of center field was put on hold with both Grisham on the team and the offseason signing of Cody Bellinger.

New York Yankees Player Jasson Domínguez Playing Baseball In The Infield In A Gray Uniform — Apr 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) takes the field against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Since making the roster, he's batted .231 with just two home runs. And the defense has not improved either. According to Baseball Savant, Domínguez Outs Above Average - a metric that measures the amount of defensive range a player can cover - is in just the 3rd percentile.

The ecosystem has not played out in Domínguez's favor. Not only could Grisham keep him out of the lineup, but Giancarlo Stanton will eventually return this year, creating a logjam at the DH spot. With the financial commitment the Yankees have made to Stanton, it might take some juddling to keep Domínguez on the roster if his bat doesn't improve.