New York Yankees' Weirdest Player Has Everyone Confused

The New York Yankees' offense has certainly been a major issue in recent weeks, and a big reason for that is they have three regulars hitting under .200.

Trent Grisham, Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells are all beneath the Mendoza line, but as the common saying goes, there are levels to this.

McMahon has shown some flashes and is batting .220 over the last 30 games, but let's be honest: he's been terrible ever since he arrived in the Bronx last July.

Wells? The 26-year-old has, for some reason, been oddly protected by Yankees fans over his first three full seasons in the big leagues, this even though he owns a .217/.293/.404 slash line throughout that span.

This year? Wells is hitting .165 with four home runs and six RBI while sporting an .074 average with runners in scoring position. His average with runners in scoring position with two outs? A big fat zero.

Then, there's Grisham, who showed signs of recent life with a couple of multi-hit games. He is batting .192 on the campaign, but unlike Wells, he has actually delivered some big moments with six homers and 27 RBI.

The metrics love Grisham. His Statcast hard hit percentage is 47.3 percent, the highest of his career. His barrel rate is 13.7 percent. His .208 BABIP in spite of those numbers is an indication he is getting unlucky.

But just how "unlucky" is Grisham really getting now two months deep into the season? And how much should we really into his peripherals seeing as how he is a lifetime .216 hitter who batted under .200 three years in a row between 2022 and 2024?

Grisham also has logged just one RBI since May 13. He last homered on May 12. So for as much as people want to say he is awaking from his slumber, it's hard to truthfully say that when you look at the entire picture.

The former first-round pick had a breakout year for New York in 2025, smashing 34 homers to go along with an .811 OPS. The Yankees brought him back on a $22 million qualifying offer because of it.

Yes, Grisham hits the ball hard, and yes, he knows how to take a walk. But at what point does waiting for him to finally break through in 2026 become a fool's errand?

Again, the 29-year-old has historically not been a great hitter. His defense has also fallen off a cliff, as well. The two-time Gold Glover posted a minus-11 DRS last season. He is now at a minus-3 this spring.

If it weren't for the fact that McMahon and Wells weren't also near-automatic outs, New York could live with Grisham's weirdness. But it's reaching a point where the Yankees will have to make a decision.

The trade deadline is just over two months from now, and it's clear that New York is a very flawed ballclub. Like it or not, Grisham has been a big part of it.

You can't have your leadoff hitter batting under .200 ... and by the way, when Grisham leads off this season (which he has done in 36 of his 44 starts), he is hitting .155 with a .561 OPS. Not pretty.

Is Grisham really a sleeping giant? Or was his performance in 2025 a one-off fluke that has everyone duped?

The Yankees don't have a whole lot of time left to figure that out, but they may want to err on the side of caution and begin considering alternatives.

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