FORT MYERS, Fla. – Randal Grichuk’s quest to make the Yankees should begin Saturday.
The veteran outfielder, after agreeing to a minor league deal with the Yankees, arrived in Tampa on Thursday night and was undergoing a physical on Friday that, if it goes well, will allow Grichuk to start working out with the club Saturday.
The Yankees were in need of a fourth outfielder who could help them against left-handers, which Grichuk has done well for most of his career, giving him a chance to win a bench job.
The 34-year-old right-handed batter is a career .268 hitter against lefties with a .819 OPS, and while those numbers took a dip last year, the Yankees are banking on his track record as a productive platoon hitter.
“He’s kind of settled into that role here now in the last few years – in ’23 and ’24, and even the first part of ’25, he was killing lefties,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday at Hammond Stadium. “I think he struggled a little bit when he got traded to Kansas City at the deadline last year. But we think he has a chance to be a factor for us. So, we’ll see. There’s no guarantees there. There’s competition for that last couple spots on the roster.
“We definitely want to see what Randal looks like and what he’s capable of, because at his best, I think there’s a real opportunity for a role there.”
If Grichuk shows enough to make the team, it could allow the Yankees to start him in left field against tough lefties, a scenario in which Cody Bellinger would shift to center field and Trent Grisham to the bench.
Before adding Grichuk, the Yankees’ top options to serve as a fourth outfielder were all left-handed hitters – or in Jasson Domínguez’s case, a switch-hitter who was much more productive from the left side.