Grisham’s First Home Run In Bronx Gives Yankees Spark Boone Wanted

Trent Grisham was the other player the New York Yankees received from San Diego when they traded for Juan Soto.

Apr 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (12) makes a running catch in the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

No one is confusing the pecking order in the New York Yankees outfield, especially when it comes to the outfielders the team traded for in the offseason.

Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo game to start. Trent Grisham came to give the outfield some depth and its starters some days off.

The 27-year-old left-handed hitting Grisham has seen sporadic playing time this season, and his batting average is a career-low at the moment. It’s under .100. He’s batted under .200 each of the past two seasons.

But, manager Aaron Boone opted to start Grisham on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. Grisham hadn’t notched a hit in his last 20 at-bats entering the game. In fact, before starting on Thursday he hadn’t played since May 31 against San Francisco. He also hadn’t played in consecutive games since May 11-12.

But, Boone said before the game he had a hunch.

"I feel like he's been close ... He's got that power and that patience,” Boone said to NJ.com. “Hopefully he can give us a little spark tonight at the bottom.”

He needed just one at-bat to create that spark, as he ended his hitless streak with a two-run home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead after two innings.

Trent Grisham gives the Yankees the lead! 💥💣#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/Fq7x5x0JcP

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 6, 2024

While he already had a home run with the Yankees earlier this year, it was on the road against Milwaukee. So this home run was his first at home in pinstripes.

Grisham’s start was designed to give Verdugo a day off. Soto took his customary spot in right field while Aaron Judge slid over to left field so Grisham could assume center field.

The Yankees surrendered five players in that trade in December — pitchers Michael King, Randy Vásquez, Jhony Brito and Drew Thorpe, along with catcher Kyle Higashioka. Soto was the centerpiece of the deal, but the San Diego Padres threw in Grisham to balance out the deal.

New York knew what it was getting. The Fort Worth, Texas, native was a first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers but never quite achieved a level of play customary for a high pick.

He broke in with the Brewers in 2019 and spent 2020-23 with the Padres after he was traded. With San Diego he showed some pop in his bat, as he had double-digit home runs in each of his four seasons in San Diego.