New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham left Friday night’s game against the San Diego Padres with right hamstring discomfort and will undergo imaging, manager Aaron Boone said, raising the possibility of another injured-list stint for a player already sidelined by the same muscle earlier this season.
Boone said “it seems like an injury” after Grisham was removed in the third inning at Petco Park. The club had not decided whether to place him on the injured list.
Grisham first felt tightness while trying to steal second base in the second inning and was thrown out. An inning later, after failing to reach a shallow RBI single by Xander Bogaerts, he left the field with a trainer.
“It’s disappointing,” Grisham said after New York’s 3-2, 10-inning loss. “But that’s part of the game. We know what we’re signing up for, so hopefully it’s nothing too problematic.”
The Yankees announced the issue as right hamstring discomfort, the same hamstring that landed Grisham on the 10-day injured list June 13. He missed three weeks with a moderate strain before returning July 3.
Grisham said Friday’s problem was in a different spot from the June injury. Boone said imaging would determine the next step.
Rookie Spencer Jones moved from right field to center after Grisham exited. Heliot Ramos entered in right field.
The timing is delicate. Slugger Aaron Judge, out since early June with a stress fracture in his right rib, is expected to return as soon as next week’s homestand. An IL move for Grisham would open a roster spot and ease a crowded outfield picture.
New York entered Saturday at 80-61, four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East and holding a wild-card berth with about three weeks left in the regular season.
Grisham is hitting .211 with an on-base percentage of .308 and a slugging percentage of .395, with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs in 121 games. Since his July return, his production has slipped, with a 79 weighted runs created plus.
Defensively, the two-time Gold Glove winner has also declined. He entered Friday with minus-7 defensive runs saved, tied for second worst among qualified major league center fielders, and minus-6 outs above average, last at the position.
Boone said Grisham was playing deep on Bogaerts’ flare.
“That was my read right away. I’d have to look; I think he was playing pretty deep. So, my original thought off the bat was no.”
Grisham, 29, accepted the Yankees’ one-year qualifying offer of about $22 million last offseason after a 34-homer year in 2025. He played for the Padres from 2020 through 2023 before the trade that also sent Juan Soto to New York.
If imaging confirms a strain serious enough for the injured list, the Yankees could recall an outfielder such as Jasson Dominguez or Max Schuemann from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Jones, who delivered an RBI single in the 10th before Luis Campusano’s walk-off homer, has been the most likely short-term option in center.
