Jun 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (12) during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

ESPN Makes Bold Yankees Trent Grisham, Giancarlo Stanton Prediction

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The New York Yankees are hoping Giancarlo Stanton is on his way back to the lineup. The superstar slugger has not played this season while dealing with an elbow injury, but is closing in on his return, and when he does, it's going to cause a shake up in the batting order.

With Stanton back, the Yankees no longer need a DH, that'll be Stanton's job. He's set to end his rehab soon, and could be back with the team at the beginning of this upcoming week, just after their series with the Boston Red Sox.

When he returns, he's going to start at DH - at least that's what everyone assumes. But ESPN's Eric Karabell isn't too concerned that it'll take away from the player he's replacing.

That play is Trent Grisham, who has been operating as the team's DH while Stanton is injured. While he's had some moments this season, he's been in a slump, making it easy for the team to replace him with their returning star. But Karabell believes that's not going to slow Grisham. He predicts the veteran will continue to provide quality at-bats, and end the season with 30 home runs.

"He's still drawing walks, still scoring runs (of course he is, batting ahead of Judge) and metrics such as exit velocity and Barrels remain positive, even this month," Karabell writes.

Here's the only problem, the Yankees aren't going to have another option than to bench Grisham. They aren't going to remove Aaron Judge or Cody Bellinger from the lineup, and they aren't going to keep Stanton away from the plate in order to keep Grisham.

Grisham will need 17 home runs in the next 94 games in order to achieve his 30 home run mark. During that time, he'll see less and less of the lineup because of Stanton, and while anything can happen, it's certainly a bold prediction to make that he's going to finish the season stronger than he started it.

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