The Yankees were set for a bit of a roster crunch this week, one that had fans wondering exactly how the club would piece together the puzzle. Well, we have part of the answer now, as this morning the Yankees announced that they had designated outfielder Randal Grichuk for assignment to clear a spot on the active roster for Elmer Rodríguez.
Grichuk signed a minor league deal this offseason with the hope that he’d give Aaron Boone another right-handed option off the bench against left-handed pitchers. The idea was fine enough in theory, but Grichuk hasn’t quite gotten there in practice, slashing .194/.212/.323 this year in limited playing time. Grichuk did make solid contact during his time with the Yankees, posting exit velocity and hard hit rates better than league average, but he also showed ugly plate discipline and was never much of a fielder. His case for remaining on the roster long term was thin unless he provided real thump at the plate.
The 34-year-old will now hit waivers, and if he clears he’ll have the option to elect free agency. For the Yankees, they’ll still have roster decisions later this week to work out, as a corresponding move will be needed once Anthony Volpe is activated (infielder Max Schuemann figures to get a ticket back to Triple-A). But for now, with this bit of roster business sorted out, we can fully turn our attention to today’s main event: Rodríguez’s major league debut this afternoon in Texas.
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