Yankees Mailbag: Backup breaking points and early standings
The fringes of the roster are about to be tested with the injured list starting to turn over some returns.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 13: Hitting coach, James Rowson #82 talks with Randal Grichuk #34 of the New York Yankees before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium on April 13, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com .
Cisforcookie asks: Is Grichuk the odd man out when Volpe returns with Rosario and Cabby both “able” to play in the OF? He’s in the hot seat, that’s for sure. Randal Grichuk hasn’t delivered in his limited time on the field thus far, failing to make much of a difference in the Yankees’ “lefty killer” lineup that they’ve deployed more recently when faced with a southpaw starter.
His Statcast page shows a hitter who is getting a little unlucky on the field, with high percentages of barreled balls and an average exit velo of 90 mph, but that means very little when the sample size is as small as it has been for Grichuk and the actual results are what they are. Being the last-minute addition to the roster and failing to provide a reason to consistently get more chances gives the Yankees an easy out if they so choose. However, Grichuk is far from the only struggling Yankee in a limited role.
J. C. Escarra hasn’t held down the backup catcher role well either, and Paul Goldschmidt is a backup whose main value appears to be a mentorship role more than anything else (more on him in a minute).
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