It’s a move that was known to be coming, but it’s official now.
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The New York Yankees and Randal Grichuk are on board for Opening Day.
The Yankees announced Wednesday that Grichuk has been signed to a major league contract and selected to the active roster. It had to happen on this timeline in order for Grichuk to be in uniform and available for Wednesday night’s season-opening game in San Francisco against the Giants.
It has the potential to be a solid addition for the Yankees, who got to see Grichuk perform in Spring Training and clearly believe in what he can still bring to the table.
The 34-year old Grichuk was signed as a non-roster invite to Spring Training, but now he’ll make $2.5 million on an MLB contract.
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In his career, Grichuk has an .819 OPS against left-handed pitchers. That’s the key skill for him here on a roster full of batters who hit better against right-handed pitching.
Grichuk has one amusing claim to fame: The Los Angeles Angels picked him exactly one choice before they also took Mike Trout (picks 24 and 25) in the 2009 MLB Draft.
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He’s also been a solid hitter for a long time, with 212 career home runs.
He has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals.
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Grichuk split the 2025 season between the Diamondbacks and Royals, and overall hit .228 with nine homers in 113 games.
The Yankees will look for ways to maximize Grichuk’s usage, and if they do that, he can still be a positive contributor.