When Aaron Judge returns, Yankees must make the obvious Trent Grisham decision

Yankees fans are getting excited as Aaron Judge nears his return to the team after being absent since late May. While we don't know the exact date — Aaron Boone suggested at some point during the team's next homestand, which begins next Tuesday — the mere possibility of Judge being back by the middle of the month is invigorating.

When that time comes, the Yankees will be faced with a tough decision. And unlike in years past, they must act on it. As you've probably guessed by now, that should involve moving Trent Grisham to the bench and making Spencer Jones the starting center fielder.

There've been a lot of overreactions regarding Grisham this season. There's no doubt he's a good baseball player, but he's just not having a great year. He's been significantly below average on defense and has not done what he's been asked to do offensively. Not to mention, it's clear that there are some lingering effects from the hamstring injury he suffered earlier this year, whether he and the team want to admit it or not.

The fact of the matter is that Jones has earned the job. He's delivered whenever Aaron Boone has called upon him, playing all three outfield positions and emerging as one of the only competent hitters with runners in scoring position this year. He's also, quite possibly, the fastest runner on the team.

We'd love to understand the advanced defensive metrics, which grade out Jones poorly. He has -1 OAA and a -0.2 dWAR. The eye test tells a completely different story even if he's misplayed a few balls out there. But still, it's nowhere close to how bad Grisham has been.

Yankees must make Spencer Jones the starting center fielder over Trent Grisham when Aaron Judge returns

The Yankees cannot afford to have any defensive questions in their outfield when playoff time comes. This isn't a call to send Grisham to purgatory, either. The reality is that he's going to get starts in center field when Judge needs to DH, assuming he won't be ready to play defense every single day from the day he's back through the end of the season.

Jones simply needs to be prioritized for his athleticism, speed, and penchant for clutch moments. On the year, he's hitting .324 with a 1.003 OPS with runners in scoring position (41 plate appearances). Compare that to Grisham, who has had a much larger sample size of 111 plate appearances (.204 AVG., .663 OPS).

Even Grisham's best stretch of the year (his eight-game stretch in mid-August when he clubbed five homers and drove in 10 runs) isn't enough to justify his overall 2026 malaise. As many predicted, his overall capabilities lie somewhere in between his All-Star-caliber 2025 campaign and his absolutely terrifying 2022 campaign (.184 AVG, .626 OPS, 81 OPS+). And right now we are witnessing it. He's hitting .209 with a .700 OPS, which is great for a bench option — not an everyday starter you need either playing reliable defense or coming through in the clutch.

Jones could very well still be a raw talent. But he's now responded to adversity multiple times this season after being sent down to Triple-A on a number of occasions. He's only gotten better for it, raising his season stats to .245/.320/.451 with nine homers, 28 RBI, nine stolen bases and a 113 OPS+ in 66 games. He's registered about double the WAR Grisham has.

Could it all come crashing down? Sure. Jones is susceptible to strikeouts (he's got a 35% rate at the big league level so far). But the trade off with that flaw is taking advantage of his otherworldly power, one-of-a-kind speed, and valuable defensive versatility.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Grisham to see action off the bench later down the stretch and in the playoffs, but the Yankees can't make the same Alex Verdugo mistake they did in 2024. Switch it up. Play the hot hand. Jones is the guy for now, and if anything changes, Grisham can go right back to his starting role.

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