Trent

Grisham

Grisham was making just his second start of the year with Paul Goldschmidt getting the night off. If Grisham performs well offensively, the Yankees could be tempted to make him their primary center fielder, with Jasson Domínguez becoming a DH. Still, they’d prefer to see Domínguez improve defensively, and Ben Rice has been great as the primary DH thus far.

Goldschmidt is atop New York’s lineup card for Saturday’s showdown against Milwaukee left-hander Nestor Cortes after Austin Wells led off Thursday’s season-opener against righty Freddy Peralta. It’s Ben Rice heading to the bench in this one with Jasson Domínguez at DH and Trent Grisham heading to left field. Yankees manager Aaron Boone hinted throughout spring training that the former NL MVP would get chances in the leadoff spot against southpaws, which should provide a small boost to his fantasy appeal in deeper formats. We’re anticipating Wells continuing to lead off against right-handed pitching moving forward.

That’s just not great for Domínguez’s fantasy value, though it’s hard to blame the Yankees when it means they upgrade defensively in two spots by putting Trent Grisham in center and shift Cody Bellinger to left. The move cost Domínguez an at-bat today, and Grisham singled in his place.

This is relevant because the lineup looks like a full Opening Day audition against right-hander Max Meyer. Trent Grisham is starting in center field with Aaron Judge at designated hitter. This is just a reminder that the Yankees like Grisham’s defense, and playing Judge at DH will help them ensure he can stay healthy throughout the season. Rice will get plenty of starts, but he is not likely to be a full-time player early on.

Stanton is dealing with tennis elbow in both elbows and is currently trying to suppress the pain and inflammation. The plan is for him to get this round of injections and go back to Tampa to continue his rehab with the team. There is no set timeline for his recovery, and Cashman mentioned that surgery is “a last resort,” which implies that a surgical fix has at least been discussed. Given his age and lengthy injury history, it’s hard to draft Stanton in any format right now, and this opens up a spot in the lineup for Ben Rice or perhaps Trent Grisham if the Yankees want to improve their defense and use Aaron Judge or Jasson Dominguez as their DH.

Grisham is slowly progressing from a mild hamstring strain that he suffered early in camp. There’s still plenty of time for him to get ready before Opening Day, though any setbacks along the way could put that in jeopardy.

No info on the severity of the hamstring pull, but Boone told reporters that Grisham is “behind” in his Grapefruit League work and is participating in baseball activities but at “almost” full speed. If healthy, Grisham is expected to be a fourth outfielder for the Yankees who plays all three positions in the grass.

The dynamic 28-year-old outfielder also has the potential to earn another $250,000 in incentives that are tied to plate appearances. Grisham had a rough season for the Bombers in 2024, slashing a putrid .190/.290/.385 with just nine long balls, 31 RBI, one stolen base and a 57/22 K/BB ratio over 209 plate appearances. He’ll once again serve in a reserve outfielder role until the inevitable injury strikes the Yankees’ outfield.

It’s not injury-related at this point, but rather just a way to keep the 32-year-old slugger from picking up an unnecessary injury in a meaningless game that has already been delayed due to rainy conditions. He ends the year with 58 homers, 144 RBI and a 1.159 OPS. Pretty good. Trent Grisham takes his place in the lineup.

He’s playing center and batting sixth tonight. Instead of cutting Alex Verdugo or Trent Grisham, the Yankees stuck DJ LeMahieu on the IL to make room for Domínguez, leaving them with a crowded outfield. Still, we assume Domínguez will play most of the time and hopefully leave Verdugo in the dust if he can get off to a quick start. The 21-year-old was hitting .309/.368/.480 in 44 Triple-A games since returning from Tommy John (there was also an interruption caused by an oblique strain). He’s worth rostering in mixed leagues. Anyone holding on to Verdugo outside of deep AL-only formats needs to move on.