NEW YORK — Trent Grisham was in the New York Yankees' lineup for Sunday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers because Juan Soto was sidelined with forearm inflammation. Despite a .083 batting average, he was placed fifth because manager Aaron Boone wanted a left-hander in the middle of the batting order and valued Grisham's ability to punish fastballs against the hard-throwing Tyler Glasnow on the mound.
The Yankees fans didn't care, and made their opinion clear in the sixth inning with a pointed “We want Soto!” chant during Grisham's third at-bat. Moments later, Grisham turned his feelings around, hitting a Glasnow fastball into the right-field seats for a three-run home run to take the lead.
In response, some fans changed course the next time Grisham entered the batter's box, chanting a different, ironic chant: “We want Grisham!”
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But Yankees captain Aaron Judge said he was not a fan of Grisham's initial treatment and defended his teammate after New York's 6-4 win.
“I wasn't particularly happy with that,” Judge said. “But I think he made his point with that home run.”
Grisham said he “wasn't trying to send a message” with the home run, but admitted he liked the chant he heard during the following at-bat.
The home run that was the difference in the Yankees avoiding a three-game sweep was Grisham's fifth hit of the season. Three of those were home runs. The 27-year-old center fielder now has a .100 batting average and a .538 OPS in 25 games as the Yankees' fourth outfielder. He has started just 18 of the club's 67 games. This weekend was just the second time this season he started three consecutive games.
Sunday's hero, Trent Grisham, said his three-run home run was “not a message” to fans, although he admitted he enjoyed hearing them turn around later with a “We want Grisham!” chant. AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
“He's just been a really good teammate through all of this,” Boone said. “He's been ready. He's accepted his role and here he is this week with a little bit of an opportunity and he's taking advantage of it.”
The reduced role was a steep transition for Grisham, who had played the previous four seasons as a center fielder for the San Diego Padres before the Yankees signed him and Soto together in a trade in December.
“I just have to keep going and be patient throughout the process and then just know that there will be periods like this in the season where I can play a few days in a row,” Grisham said.
Whether Grisham plays four days in a row depends on Soto's playing time on Monday against the Kansas City Royals. Boone said Soto went through his usual preparation routine on Sunday and pitched for the first time since being diagnosed with forearm inflammation on Friday. But Soto, Boone said, was “probably” not an option to come off the bench.
Soto's status on Monday will depend on how his arm feels. The Yankees will welcome the MVP candidate with open arms when he's ready. On Sunday, however, Grisham stepped up after drowning out the noise.
“Soto will be healthy and healthy again, but Grish is a damn good player,” Judge said. “He was there tonight at the crucial moment when we needed him.”
