NEW YORK — The New York Yankees are finding themselves in a familiar September spotlight, but not for the reasons they would prefer. Their playoff chase is alive, their lineup is producing, and one unexpected bat has become the spark. Yet behind this surge, a revelation about last October is casting a shadow the team cannot avoid.
The player at the center of it is Trent Grisham, once considered a secondary piece in the Yankees’ blockbuster deal with San Diego. Now, with a breakout 2025 season, his rise has made the organization face an uncomfortable truth about its own past decisions.
A career year that no one saw coming
Grisham, 28, has transformed into one of the Yankees’ most reliable bats. Through 117 games this season, he owns a .248/.354/.476 slash line with 29 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 68 runs scored. His career total now sits at 99 home runs.
This performance has changed how the Yankees use him. Once thought of as a defensive replacement and depth piece, he is now the club’s leadoff hitter. His patience at the plate remains, but his bat has become one of the most dangerous in the lineup.
“I felt like he had a chance to be really productive for us,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The fact that he’s sitting here as our leadoff guy with over a .350 on-base (percentage), 28 homers. I would have signed up for that in a heartbeat. He’s taken the opportunity and completely run with it, and he’s put together a real career year for himself.”
His breakout has forced the Yankees to recognize something that insiders say they privately admitted earlier this year.
The Grisham revelation that stings
According to reporting from Chris Kirschner, Yankees management has acknowledged internally that they mishandled Grisham last fall. Despite his late-season offensive surge in 2024, the two-time Gold Glove center fielder never appeared in a single playoff game. Instead, the Yankees leaned on Alex Verdugo, who was entrenched in left field during their World Series run against the Dodgers.
“This isn’t just a 2025 breakout for Grisham; he showed this kind of upside offensively last season,” wrote Chris Kirschner. “In limited action from June 1 until the end of the season, Grisham posted a 117 wRC+. Earlier this season, the Yankees privately expressed regret for not using Grisham at all in the postseason. But the way he’s elevated his game this year amplifies the sting of what the Yankees could’ve had in the World Series last year had they used him over Alex Verdugo, who’s currently a free agent.”
From June through the end of last season, Grisham posted a 117 wRC+. Yet when October came, he was sidelined. That decision is now being remembered as one of the most costly choices in recent Yankees postseason history.
The fallout from Verdugo’s decline
The contrast between the two outfielders makes the decision look worse in hindsight. Verdugo hit just .233 with a .291 on-base percentage across 149 games in 2024. His 84 wRC+ placed him well below league average, and his October production failed to lift the Yankees’ offense when they needed it most.
Verdugo’s decline has only accelerated in 2025. After signing with Atlanta, he managed a .239 average with no home runs in 56 games before being designated for assignment. His OPS sat at .585, 34 percent worse than league average. As Verdugo searches for another opportunity, Grisham has become indispensable in New York.
Numbers reveal what might have been
This season, Grisham’s wRC+ has climbed to 134. That places him only 14 percent behind Juan Soto’s production with the Mets, at a fraction of the cost. His power has also been situationally critical. Of his 29 home runs by through September 2, 21 either tied the game or gave the Yankees the lead. Six of those have come to start games, ranking fifth in the majors.
It’s a profile that makes last year’s benching sting more for fans. Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin summed up the frustration on social media: “Trent Grisham is having a career year, but let me guess the Yankees will let him walk after the season. Just bring him back on another one-year deal, why not? Not to mention he’s elite in center. Screw your defensive metrics, I watch ball.”
Central to the playoff push
As the Yankees press through September, Grisham’s bat is carrying weight in the standings. Entering late August, New York held a 75-60 record, sitting three games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East and a half game ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the top wild-card position.
The Yankees have averaged nearly nine runs a game during their season-high six-game winning streak. Grisham’s bat has been central to that surge. On Friday, he belted his 28th home run of the year — a grand slam off former Yankees prospect Yoendrys Gómez in a 10-2 rout of the White Sox. He had another grand slam on Tuesday in Houston.
“It’s what I’ve always dreamed about and thought I was capable of,” Grisham said. “It is a whole other thing to do it, but no, it does not surprise me.”
Building on a steady approach
While his results have changed, his approach at the plate has not. Grisham remains patient, swinging less often than the league average but rarely chasing out of the strike zone. What has shifted is his ability to punish fastballs. Once only decent against heaters, he has become one of the league’s most effective fastball hitters in 2025.
A looming decision for the Yankees
Now, the Yankees face a decision about what comes next. Grisham is 28 and entering his final arbitration year. He will be eligible for free agency after the season, making him a candidate for a qualifying offer, projected around $20 million. Accepting it would keep him for another year. Declining it would allow the Yankees to receive draft-pick compensation.
The decision is complicated by Cody Bellinger’s future. Bellinger is expected to opt out of his deal and could command significant attention as a versatile option at first base and in the outfield.
A trade once overlooked now central
Grisham’s journey to New York began as part of the December 2023 trade with San Diego that brought Juan Soto to the Yankees. At the time, many saw him as a salary piece in the deal. But the Yankees saw more. They believed his defense and depth could help their bench.
That foresight has proven correct, even if their decision to bench him last October was not. With Grisham now thriving and Verdugo out of the majors, the Yankees are left to reckon with what might have been had they made a different choice in the 2024 postseason.
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