Trent Grisham on 10-day IL with Grade 2 hamstring strain; Dominguez recalled

Trent Grisham is on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, the Yankees announced, and manager Aaron Boone told reporters — including the New York Post's Greg Joyce — that Grisham's regular season could be in jeopardy. Outfielder Jasson Dominguez was recalled from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

What happened

The IL placement followed a September 5 game against the Padres — a 3-2 Yankees loss — in which Grisham exited in the third inning. Per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch and other reporters, Grisham said he first felt discomfort during a stolen base attempt in the top of the second inning. The situation became visible in the bottom of that frame when Grisham moved slowly toward a Xander Bogaerts fly ball that dropped into shallow center field for an RBI single. He was removed from the field before the bottom of the third, with Spencer Jones shifting from right field to center and Heliot Ramos taking over in right.

Boone subsequently told Joyce and other reporters that the strain is a moderate Grade 2 — and, notably, that it affects a different part of the hamstring than the injury Grisham dealt with in June. Boone acknowledged the risk to Grisham's regular season while declining to set a timeline, telling reporters: "we're not putting a timetable on it right now." On a more encouraging note, per Mark Polishuk at MLB Trade Rumors, Grisham was feeling well enough to take part in light exercises before each of the Yankees' last two games.

Why it matters

The June hamstring strain already cost Grisham roughly three weeks, per MLB Trade Rumors. A Grade 2 designation on a different portion of the same muscle, arriving with the calendar deep into September, is the kind of news that turns a roster puzzle into a roster emergency — or would, if the Yankees didn't happen to have Aaron Judge apparently on the verge of returning.

Per MLB Trade Rumors, Judge took batting practice ahead of the September 5 game and is expected to be activated from the 60-day IL before the end of the week, pending a live-pitching session. That pending return meaningfully softens the operational blow of losing Grisham, even if, per the report, Judge will likely absorb more designated hitter days than usual rather than a full-time assignment in right field while he works back into game shape.

The outfield picture that remains is a layered one. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Spencer Jones and Cody Bellinger figure to handle most of the center field time in Grisham's absence — though Bellinger has played exclusively left field since returning from his own hamstring-related IL stint, which lasted about a month. That history makes Jones the more natural center field option for now, even as the rookie's defensive profile there is modest.

The numbers

Jones has logged 152 1/3 innings in center field this season, posting -1 Outs Above Average and -1 Defensive Runs Saved, per MLB Trade Rumors — numbers that read as passable rather than reassuring for a team that may be leaning on him up the middle through September.

The Yankees sit at 81-62 (.566), good for second place in the AL East, 4 games back of first. Their Wild Card standing is considerably more comfortable: ranked first among Wild Card contenders, +8.5 relative to the cut line. The team enters this stretch on a one-game losing streak.

Where the club stands

New York's upcoming schedule offers a relatively forgiving backdrop for sorting out the outfield. The Yankees host the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, September 8 (Cam Schlittler vs. Gabriel Hughes), Wednesday, September 9 (Will Warren vs. Tomoyuki Sugano), and Thursday, September 10 (Max Fried vs. Ryan Feltner). A three-game home series against Colorado is about as gentle a runway as a team could ask for when reordering its outfield alignment.

The broader outfield group — Judge (pending activation), Bellinger, Jones, Ramos, Dominguez, and utility options Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario — gives New York meaningful depth, per MLB Trade Rumors. September roster rules allow clubs to carry 28 active players through the end of the regular season, which creates room to keep multiple outfield options available simultaneously without forcing difficult choices elsewhere on the roster.

What we don't know yet

The most consequential open question is simply how long Grisham will be out. Boone declined to set a timetable, and a Grade 2 designation covers a wide range of recovery windows. The June strain cost Grisham approximately three weeks; this one affects a different part of the hamstring and arrives later in the calendar, which makes the June timeline an imperfect reference point rather than a reliable guide.

Whether Bellinger will eventually take on center field duties — rather than remaining in left — is also unresolved. Per MLB Trade Rumors, his hamstring history this season is the reason he has stayed in left since returning, and nothing in the available reporting indicates that calculus has changed.

Judge's activation, while reportedly close, is also not yet complete. Per MLB Trade Rumors, he still needs to face live pitching before being activated from the 60-day IL. Until that step is completed, his return remains expected rather than certain.

What to watch

The live-pitching session for Judge is the most immediate thing to track. Per MLB Trade Rumors, he looked like a candidate to return before the end of the week following his September 5 batting practice, and the Rockies series at home provides a logical window. How the Yankees deploy him upon return — and how many DH days he absorbs versus right field appearances — will shape how much center field pressure falls on Jones.

Grisham's response to treatment over the next several days will also be worth monitoring. Boone's note that Grisham has been doing light exercises before recent games suggests the situation is not static, and any update on his progress — or lack of it — will go a long way toward clarifying whether this is a late-season absence or something longer. For now, the desk takes Boone at his word: no timetable.