Trent Grisham slugs late go-ahead homer vs. Nats

With the Rays throwing left-hander Shane McClanahan, the Yankees will play Max Schuemann in center field and have Grisham on the bench. In five games since coming off the injured list, Grisham has gone 4-for-18 with two doubles, a home run, five runs scored, two RBI, and a steal. He also has a 58 percent hard-hit rate in that incredibly small sample size, so he should heat up again with more at-bats under his belt.

Grisham is back atop New York’s lineup for the second straight contest against a right-handed starter after going 2-for-4 with his ninth home run of the season and a pair of RBI in his return from the injured list during Friday’s series opener. The 29-year-old wound up missing nearly three weeks recovering from a right hamstring strain.

He’ll likely be starting today against the Twins in his return. Grisham has been on the shelf with a hamstring strain since mid-June, he was hitting .232/.341/.406 with eight homers and six stolen bases before the injury. He’ll be a reasonable deep-league starter, at the very least, going forward.

Grisham completed seven innings in center field and appears poised to return to New York’s lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Twins. The 29-year-old has been on the shelf with a hamstring strain since mid-June.

It’ll be a brief one with Boone adding that Grisham could be activated for Wednesday’s series finale against Detroit or prior to Friday’s opener against Minnesota. The 29-year-old outfielder is likely to rejoin New York’s lineup later this week. He hit the injured list with a right hamstring strain back on June 13.

Boone added that Grisham is likely to play in at least one minor league rehab contest prior to returning to New York’s lineup. The 29-year-old outfielder hit the injured list with a right hamstring strain back on June 13 after slashing .232/.341/.406 with eight homers and six steals as the Yankees’ primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching. It sounds like he’s on track to make it back at some point next week with all-or-nothing rookie slugger Spencer Jones likely headed back to the minors as the corresponding move.

Grisham suffered a hamstring strain on June 12 and was expected to miss “multiple weeks.” He is already performing on field agility exercises, and the Yankees “are discussing whether he will accompany them on their trip to Detroit/Boston.” It sounds like the center fielder may be able to make his return soon. That could mean less playing time for Spencer Jones.

Grisham was placed on the injured list June 13 with his strain, and it won’t be a minimum stint on the injured list. Jasson Dominguez is expected to get the bulk of the playing time in Grisham’s absence, although Dominguez may not be available Tuesday after having a tooth pulled. If all goes well, Grisham should be back around the start of July.

Grisham’s injury is merely the latest blow to New York’s outfield depth, leaving Cody Bellinger as the lone Opening Day starter left standing. It’ll be former top prospect Jasson Domínguez, who was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move, along with free-swinging rookie Spencer Jones and José Caballero splitting time in the outfield corners next to Bellinger. No word on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time Grisham misses. He was hitting .232/.341/.406 with eight homers and six steals as the Yankees’ primary leadoff hitter against right-handed starters.

If a player says something like that, it’s probably 90/10 going to lead to an IL stint. The Yankees figure to activate Jasson Domínguez from the IL if a move is necessary. He could play right with Spencer Jones starting in center.