The Yankees added more reinforcements to their outfield on Wednesday.
The Yankees have agreed to a Minor League contract with veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, a source told MLB.com‘s Mark Feinsand. The team has not confirmed the deal.
The 34-year-old Grichuk owns a career .251/.298/.465 slash line with 212 home runs in parts of 12 MLB seasons. In 113 games with the D-backs and Royals last season, Grichuk had a .674 OPS and nine home runs.
The right-handed Grichuk’s fit on the roster makes some sense given the Yankees’ plethora of left-handed hitters. Grichuk has mainly operated as a short-side platoon hitter who mashes left-handed pitching — he owns a career .819 OPS against lefties, compared to a .733 OPS against righties.
Among Yankees outfielders, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger have handled left-handed pitching well in their careers, but there could be an opportunity for Grichuk to spell Trent Grisham against tough left-handers. Grisham had a .651 OPS in 155 plate appearances against lefties last year, compared to an .870 OPS against righties.
