Trent Grisham hit leadoff with the idea of getting more base runners on in front of Ben Rice. 

Instead, Yankees season ended with Grisham striking out for the third time of the night — with Rice in the on-deck circle — in a 4-3 loss to the Rays in Game 3 of the ALDS. 

With the Yankees fighting for survival, Grisham got the call to hit leadoff — despite being the worst leadoff hitter in the game this season. 

He popped out in the first, struck out looking in the third, lined out to left in the fifth and whiffed looking again in the seventh, this time getting booed by the Stadium crowd. 

And in the bottom of the ninth, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. representing the tying run at second and two outs, Grisham was no match for lefty closer Bryan Baker. 

The move to bat Grisham leadoff was made despite the fact that among the 16 players with at least 350 plate appearances at the top of the lineup in the majors, Grisham had the lowest batting average (.199) and OPS (.680). 

But he also entered the game with considerable success against Wednesday’s starter for Tampa Bay, Nick Martinez. 

Trent Grisham reacts after striking out looking during the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 season-ending loss to the Rays in Game 3 of the ALDS on Oct. 7, 2026 in The Bronx. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Heading into the game, Grisham was 4-for-6 with three doubles and two walks versus the right-hander. 

And with Rice providing most of the Yankees offense in this series, Aaron Boone said he was looking to get people on base for his top hitter this postseason. 

“Just trying to find somewhere we can get some on base, especially in front of [Rice], as well as he’s playing right now and maximize that as much as we can,’’ Boone said before Game 3. “I considered a lot of different avenues and settled on that.” 

Trent Grisham strikes out swinging to end the game in the Yankees’ season-ending loss to the Rays. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Nothing — outside of Rice — worked in the first two games of the series after the Yankees finally got going in the wild-card series against the Red Sox. 

Grisham mostly hit leadoff a year ago in the postseason, but his offense took a huge step back during the regular season — which led to the center fielder hitting seventh in his previous three starts during these playoffs. 

With his Yankees future very much in doubt after this season — when he was playing on the qualifying offer following his 34-homer year in 2025 — the Yankees were willing to end their season with the lefty-swinging Grisham getting the most plate appearances in an elimination game. 

He had been in the middle of a brutal slump when he missed most of the final month of the season with a strained right hamstring — his second of the year. 

But the Yankees activated him for the playoffs, taking a chance Grisham would find his timing and rhythm in time to make an impact. 

It didn’t happen.