TAMPA — So much for being a defensive specialist.
Yes, Trent Grisham has continued to play top-notch defense in center field, but he has also continued to swing a hot bat, making it difficult for manager Aaron Boone to keep him out of the lineup.
Grisham did it again in a 4-0 win over the Rays on Sunday, making his third straight start, when he led off the game with a home run and later added a strong, diving catch in the gap that turned into a double play.
“He’s been doing incredible things,” Aaron Judge said. “Especially leading off the game with a homer and then making a diving play like that, he’s doing it all right now for us.”
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After homering in back-to-back games, Grisham has six home runs on the year, nipping at the heels of Judge (seven) for the team lead.
The left-handed hitter is batting .320 with a 1.093 OPS through 20 games.
“He’s been so good,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game when asked about Grisham batting leadoff for the first time as a Yankee. “Obviously, love the way he’s playing all-around right now.”
The outfield played difficult at Steinbrenner Field throughout the four-game series because of a howling wind, but Grisham made it look easy.
In the fifth inning Sunday, he fought the wind and ranged into the gap in right-center to rob Jake Mangum of a hit on a slicing fly ball, temporarily keeping Max Fried’s no-hit bid alive.
Grisham then got to his feet and fired a strike to second base to nail Danny Jansen, who was trying to tag up on the catch that instead turned into a double play.
“Really good play,” Cody Bellinger said. “Really windy and he did a great job of getting to the ball. Not only that, but picking up his head right away and making a great throw. It’s not easy to get up and make a perfect throw like that. Just a heads-up baseball player. He’s playing extremely well right now. It’s fun to watch.”
Grisham’s two-way play has forced Boone to keep finding ways to get him in the lineup.
Sunday he got in there with Aaron Judge sliding to DH for Ben Rice, who was out with a bruised elbow, and Bellinger moving to right.
In the previous two games, Grisham started with Bellinger and Jasson Domínguez each getting a day off.
“The good thing is we have a lot of really good players and options out there right now,” Boone said. “So try to continue to balance it the best I can, try to keep these guys all sharp and get them in there in the best situations possible.”