Why the Yankees Need to Move Trent Grisham Out of Center Field

Although the New York Yankees vastly outplayed the Boston Red Sox throughout the AL Wild Card Series, they didn't play completely flawless baseball.

In fact, there were two moments in the Game 2 clincher on Wednesday night that could be cause for concern, and both plays involved center fielder Trent Grisham.

The first play came in the top of the third inning, when Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton blooped a ball to shallow center field. Although it would have been a difficult ball to catch, Grisham got a poor jump and sprinted slowly toward the ball. The time it took the 29-year-old to field the ball allowed Eaton to hustle into second base with a double. Max Fried was able to work around the double and put up a zero, but it added unnecessary tension to the next two batters he faced with a runner in scoring position.

Trent Grisham doing what he does pic.twitter.com/cdbViSgEyn
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 1, 2026

The second play came in the sixth inning, as Adley Rutschman lofted a fly ball to center. Grisham again got a bad jump and didn't run hard enough to get anywhere close to making a play, while Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. needed to enter the vicinity. Chisholm recorded the out with a nice over-the-shoulder basket catch, but it was a needlessly difficult play for him to make due to Grisham's bad read and mobility.

Jazz makes a basket catch out in center for the second out of the sixth pic.twitter.com/D91nL8WoSG
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 1, 2026

Chisholm's play immediately became important. Fried surrendered a solo shot to Willson Contreras (the next batter). This cut the Yankees' lead in half. Had Rutschman reached on that routine fly ball, the Contreras homer would have tied the game at two.

Nonetheless, the Yankees enjoyed a huge offensive inning in the bottom of the sixth, but that could've changed if the game were tied. They might have approached Garrett Crochet differently if they weren't ahead, or maybe Crochet wouldn't have appeared at all.

Trent Grisham's poor center field defense needs to be addressed

Of course, these plays didn't factor into the Yankees' convincing victory. Meanwhile, Grisham had a productive night at the plate too, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

However, in an environment where every mistake is magnified, the Yankees can't afford to get lackluster defense from Grisham in the most important outfield position. During the regular season, the veteran was worth -6.8 Fielding Runs and -6 Outs Above Average in center field, per FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. Grisham also strained his right hamstring twice, further reducing his mobility.

On the Eaton double, Grisham ran 23.5 feet per second, a sprint speed comparable to catchers (h/t Chris Kirschner of The Athletic). We must remember he just returned from his second hamstring strain to make the Wild Card roster, so it's possible he's not at 100%. Regardless, that gives even more reason not to play Grisham in center moving forward.

What the Yankees' outfield should look like with Grisham

To replace Grisham in center field, the Yankees can go with either Spencer Jones or Cody Bellinger. It seems far more likely that the Bronx Bombers will go with Jones, even though his defensive metrics have been poor (-4 Outs Above Average, per Baseball Savant).

While Bellinger would theoretically be better than both Grisham and Jones in center field, he's only played 107.0 innings there this season, as opposed to 1,008.2 in left field, where he's played Gold Glove-caliber defense (21 Defensive Runs Saved, 6 Outs Above Average, and a Fielding Run Value of 8). Playing Bellinger at his best position is more impactful to the Yankees' outfield defense than having him plug the hole in center.

As such, the Bronx Bombers should rely on Jones to at least play better center field defense than the hobbled Grisham. This would push Grisham over to right field when he's in the starting lineup.

Grisham hasn't played right field since 2019, but his reduced range and mobility can be hidden better there. The Yankees also don't have other options in right field, as Heliot Ramos is an extremely poor fielder and Aaron Judge will likely not see action there because of his calf injury. Based on lefty-righty matchups, Grisham would be platooning with Ramos in the lineup anyway.

But regardless of whether Grisham plays every day or platoons, plugging him into center field is no longer a viable option. Those two miscues against the Red Sox would have led to a huge inning against the Rays, a team that fully capitalizes on any defensive lapse. The Yankees need to play consistent, crisp defense to beat the Rays, and part of that equation is either moving Grisham to right field or relying on him as a bench piece.

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