Why Trent Grisham Needs a Bigger Role for the Yankees in Game 2

If the Yankees want to go for the kill shot on Wednesday night, they'd be wise to play the numbers with their outfield.

The New York Yankees might want to consider playing Trent Grisham (right) on Wednesday night as they face Sonny Gray. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There was little to complain about with the New York Yankees in Game 1, as they thrashed the rival Boston Red Sox in the Bronx to take control of this three-game series, 9-0.

In that game, the Yankees played to strict platoons to counter Boston's formidable lefty, Payton Tolle, and their plethora of left-handed relievers. Tonight's advancement opportunity will present the opposite end of the spectrum, with right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray on the mound.

There are plenty of things Aaron Boone can consider going into this with his seven-man bench, and one of them should be giving the $22 million man his first start in several weeks to give the Yankees the best chance to advance to the division series.

Why Trent Grisham should start over Heliot Ramos in Game 2

It's a basic numbers game. Ramos, despite not looking the part last night, is a platoon bat at heart. More times than not, his production will come against a southpaw staring him down 60 feet and six inches away.

Grisham's 2026 splits are actually quite even, but he's hit righties much better in general since becoming a Yankee in 2024. He's also more likely to put up a professional at-bat in a big spot than Ramos, with his contact and plate discipline abilities — things Ramos has less of as a trade-off for doing damage.

There's also the factor of looking at Gray as a pitcher. While his splits are relatively even this season (and even partially reversed), Grisham has always seen him well. You can't say the same for Ramos.

vs. Sonny Gray (career):
Trent Grisham: 5-for-10, HR, RBI, 2B, BB, 2 K
Heliot Ramos: 1-for-10, 5 K

This would also have Ramos ready for a pinch-hitting opportunity off the bench when Boston undoubtedly goes to their high-leverage lefties to desperately try to extend their season. Having a lefty bat off the bench for a team that, after Gray departs, might not throw many righties is pretty useless.

If you were going to roster Grisham at all this series, it was to play in a game like this. In his first at-bat in 25 days on Tuesday night against Brayan Bello, he worked a 3-1 count before lasering a sinker into left-center field that held up for Ceddanne Rafaela.

Why defensive concerns are not a factor

A big reason why some fans might not want Grisham back into the fold is that he's only capable of playing center field, and he plays that position quite poorly.

It's not new information that Grisham was the worst defensive center fielder in baseball this season, registering -8 Defensive Runs Saved, -6 Outs Above Average, and -5 Fielding Run Value. That's excusable if he was putting up his 2025 offensive numbers, but since he wasn't, you felt as if it wasn't worth putting him out there.

Maybe when Aaron Judge is fully healthy, the argument about Grisham's defense can be weighed, but not in a situation with Spencer Jones and Ramos.

Consider these two theoretical outfield alignments. There's the Game 1 configuration of Cody Bellinger, Jones, and Ramos, and then the potential alignment tonight of Bellinger, Grisham, and Jones.

We know Bellinger is the Gold Glove frontrunner this year as the one constant, so how do the others compare?

Jones might have all the athletic gifts to be a good center fielder, but he hasn't shown it in his brief stint in the majors. In just 315 innings in center field, he's been worth -4 DRS, -4 OAA, and -3 FRV. If you extrapolate these numbers across Grisham's innings total (961), you get -12, -12, and -9, respectively. That's really bad.

In right field, he's registered as completely average in 250 innings, a big upgrade from Ramos, who's registered -5 OAA and -5 FRV in right field this season, almost all of that since the trade deadline. It hasn't killed the Yankees so far, but it's a definitive negative.

It might not seem pretty, but the best alignment for the Yankees among starting-caliber players might be Bellinger-Grisham-Jones, at least until Judge is back.

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