Trent Grisham's injury might have confirmed Spencer Jones' ascension with Yankees

Trent Grisham's 2026 arc has been an interesting one. A slow start had a lot of New York Yankees fans lambasting the club for extending him the qualifying offer and putting itself on the hook for $22 million. Eventually, his production began to match the underlying metrics, but it didn't hold.

Since going down on June 13 with his first hamstring injury of the season, Grisham's bat has once again gone silent. Since returning on July 3, he logged 220 plate appearances and slashed just .186/.269/.381. The poor play at the plate has made his defensive issues even more glaring.

With Grisham heading back to the IL and Aaron Judge preparing for a return, it's worth asking whether the former San Diego Padre even has a place on the roster when he returns. And most importantly, can the Yankees even consider rostering him in October?

First and foremost, New York knows full well how much defensive gaffes can hurt in October thanks to the scars of the 2024 World Series. In center field, the misplays and lack of range can be particularly devastating.

And it's not like the Yankees don't have another option out there. While he hasn't gotten a ton of run in center, Spencer Jones is a natural center fielder, and it's clear that he's a better option than a soon-to-be 30-year-old whose legs have given out on him.

Spencer Jones is better than Trent Grisham in every way and must be Yankees' center fielder moving forward

Jones has his flaws, and the strikeouts will always be a part of his game, but he's also made tremendous strides to address his rough edges and turn into a productive player. He is the Yankees' future at the position, but he should also be their present.

On the season, he's outproducing Grisham with a .246/.320/.447 line entering play on Sept. 8, which is a good deal better than the .211/.308/.395 mark that Grisham has put up.

The fact of the matter is that Jones has looked more and more comfortable as time has gone on. With the Yankees out in San Diego, he's already had his share of clutch moments, like the go-ahead 10th-inning single off Mason Miller in the series opener on Sept. 4. His teammates have taken notice.

“He keeps looking like a matured big leaguer out there, doing his thing,” Ben Rice said. “He really slows it down well.”

With 91st percentile sprint speed and 80th percentile arm strength, Jones has the tools to impact the game beyond just his offensive contributions. His defensive metrics aren't off the charts yet, in part because of the unstable nature of the sample sizes he's logged across all three outfield positions, but he has a reputation for being a plus defender in center in the minor leagues.

He can also make an impact on the bases. Jones is 9-for-12 in stolen base attempts in 69 big league games, and has posted 1.1 baserunning value overall. He has the speed to take the extra base when available and can also pressure the defense.

That's a stark contrast to Grisham, who, despite often hitting leadoff, is a lumbering station-to-station baserunner with 34th-percentile sprint speed. He's been a net negative on the bases, posting -2.2 baserunning runs.

In all facets of the game, Jones is a better player than Grisham, whose body seems to be breaking down. The 25-year-old is going to get even more run with Grisham laid up, and should further prove that the future is now for the Yankees in center field, and that he's the man who should be roaming the position come playoff time.

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