Alexander Wilson
The NY Yankees might have made a mistake cutting Randal Grichuk loose, and Thursday’s game 14 did not help that feeling. The veteran outfielder launched another two-run homer for the White Sox, his third since landing in Chicago, and it is hard not to look at the Yankees’ current outfield mess and wonder why they gave up on that bat so quickly.
To be fair, Grichuk was not exactly crushing the ball in the Bronx. When the Yankees designated him for assignment on April 29, he was hitting .194 in 16 games with four doubles and only two RBIs. That is not some huge production hole they ripped out of the lineup. But context matters, and the context has gotten a lot uglier for the Yankees since then.
The roster looks thinner now than it did then
At the time, the move felt manageable. The Yankees had healthier bodies, more flexibility, and enough confidence that they could cover the depth spot another way. That is not where they are now.
Giancarlo Stanton is still sidelined, Jasson Dominguez is out, and Spencer Jones is trying to survive his first taste of the majors while the strikeout concerns everybody worried about are already showing up. That is why Grichuk’s recent run stings a bit more than it normally would. A right-handed veteran with some pull-side juice and a track record of punishing mistakes would look pretty useful in this lineup right about now.
Entering play Thursday, Grichuk was hitting .205/.234/.432 with two homers in 47 plate appearances for Chicago. Then he went out and added another two-run shot. No, that is not some superstar slash line. But the Yankees are not exactly in a position to be picky with healthy outfield bats at the moment.
This is the kind of move that looks worse with time
That is the frustrating part. The Yankees did not cut an All-Star. They cut a useful depth piece, and now the depth is what they are missing.
Grichuk has always been a streaky hitter, so this could cool off fast. That is possible. It is also beside the point. The Yankees do not need him to carry an offense. They could use him to give them competent at-bats against lefties, some real pull power, and another veteran option while Stanton works his way back and Jones tries to get his sea legs.
Instead, they are watching him do damage somewhere else while trying to patch the whole thing together on the fly. That is not a great look for a roster that has already been stretched thinner than expected this early in the year.
The Yankees may have underestimated what they were losing
This feels like one of those front office calls that made sense in a vacuum but looks worse once real life hits it. Brian Cashman clearly felt the roster spot mattered more than holding onto Grichuk. On paper, that is defensible. In practice, the Yankees are sitting here with a wounded DH spot, another outfield injury, and a rookie who looks overmatched early.
That is where the regret starts creeping in. Grichuk was never going to be a savior. He did not have to be. He just had to be useful, and right now useful is exactly what the Bombers are missing. If he keeps giving the White Sox timely pop while the Yankees keep searching for offense on the margins, this is going to look like one of those unnecessary mistakes that hangs around for a while.
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