Draft and minor leagues (2009–14) Grichuk committed to attend the
University of Arizona. The
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim drafted Grichuk in the first round, with the 24th overall selection, in the
2009 MLB draft, one selection ahead of
Mike Trout. Grichuk signed with the Angels, rather than attend college. A series of three unusual injuries delayed the outfield prospect's development. First, he tore a
ligament after just 12 games in . Second, he batted a
foul ball that
fractured his
knee cap. Finally, while diving for a ball, he broke his
wrist. In 2012, his first full season, Grichuk played 135 games and
batted .298 with 18
home runs and 71
runs batted in with the Single-A
Inland Empire 66ers. After a promotion to the Double-A
Arkansas Travelers in 2013, he made 128 appearances, batting .256 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI. In October 2013, Rawlings and MiLB announced Grichuk was the recipient of the Minor League
Gold Glove Award for
right field.
MLB.com ranked Grichuk as the Angels' No. 4 prospect after the 2013 season, and the club added him to their
40-man roster on November 20, 2013. Two days later, they traded him along with
Peter Bourjos to the
St. Louis Cardinals for
David Freese and
Fernando Salas. Grichuk began the 2014 season with the
Memphis Redbirds of the
Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
St. Louis Cardinals (2014–2017) 2014−15 The Cardinals promoted Grichuk to the majors for the first time on April 28,
2014, after he had slashed .310/.359/.529 with six walks and 17 strikeouts. He debuted as a defensive replacement in the outfield that day. Grichuk made his first major league start in center field the next day, collecting a single in five at-bats for his first major league hit. The Cardinals optioned him back to Memphis shortly thereafter. On May 21, he showed the authorities what he could do with a big game-winning home run versus the
Colorado Springs Sky Sox, giving an anonymous fan an autograph after the game. Shortly afterwards, the Cardinals recalled him to the big leagues on May 30. He improved his Triple-A numbers, slashing .315/.363/.589 with ten home runs. Grichuk received the Cardinals' minor league system Player of the Month Award for May 2014. On June 7, he hit his first major league home run off
Toronto Blue Jays' starter
Mark Buehrle in a 5–0 victory. Grichuk produced a .911
on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in 44
spring training at bats in
2015 and made the major league club as a fifth outfielder. While lifting weights, he strained his lower back, halting his play on April 16 and prompting the Cardinals to place him on the 15-day DL. On May 16, the Cardinals activated him from the disabled list. After striking out five times on May 18, he followed up with two doubles and a triple the next night against the
New York Mets, as the Cardinals prevailed 10–2. When
Matt Holliday went on the DL in early June, that opened Grichuk's first legitimate opportunity for regular playing time in the major leagues, including all three
outfield positions. On June 30, he was a double short of
hitting for the cycle in a 2–1 loss to the
Chicago White Sox. His home run off
Chris Sale traveled , however, and landed in the
Big Mac Land section of
Busch Stadium. Through that point in the season, it was the longest home run of the year there by a Cardinals player. Setting a new career high with six runs batted in on July 18, Grichuk also homered twice in a 12–2 win over the Mets. On August 5 against the
Cincinnati Reds, he doubled in the sixth inning and hit the game-winning home run in the top of the 13th at
Great American Ball Park in a 4–3 game. After straining his right elbow, the Cardinals placed Grichuk on the disabled list on August 17. The Cardinals reactivated him less than one month later. On September 10, he played center field against the
Chicago Cubs, but was not permitted to throw as his elbow had still not fully recovered. After the season, he underwent surgery to repair a
sports hernia.
2016−17 in Out of spring training in
2016, Grichuk won the role as starting center fielder. He hit his first career
walk-off home run on May 23 in a 4–3 win against the
Cubs. With his overall offensive output in decline from the previous year, the Cardinals optioned him to, and recalled him from, Memphis on multiple occasions in 2016. On August 13, 2016 − his 25th birthday − Grichuk hit his first career
grand slam, providing the margin in an 8−4 win over the Cubs, and ending their 11-game win streak. He produced the game-winning RBI double on August 19 against
Philadelphia Phillies in the 11th inning of a 4−3 win. Grichuk ended 2016 with a .240 batting average along with 24 home runs and 48 RBIs. On April 2,
2017,
Opening Night versus the defending
World Series champion Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium, Grichuk homered and hit a walk-off bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth.
Toronto Blue Jays On January 19, 2018, the Cardinals traded Grichuk to the
Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitchers
Dominic Leone and
Conner Greene. He began the season as Toronto's starting right fielder. On March 30, Grichuk hit his first home run as a Blue Jay, which came on the first pitch he saw from
Masahiro Tanaka in the second inning of a 4–2 loss to the
New York Yankees. After batting only .106 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 25 games, he was placed on the
disabled list with a right knee strain on April 30. He was activated on June 1. Grichuk finished the season batting .245/.301/.502 and tied for first on the team in home runs with
Justin Smoak with 25. On April 2, 2019, Grichuk and the Blue Jays agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $52 million. In 2019, he batted .232/.280/.457 and led the team in both home runs (31) and runs batted in (80). With the
2020 Blue Jays, Grichuk batted .273 with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs in 55 games.
Colorado Rockies On March 24, 2022, Grichuk was traded to the
Colorado Rockies for
Raimel Tapia and Adrian Pinto. In 2022 he had the lowest
walk-to-strikeout ratio in the NL (0.19), the lowest line drive percentage of all qualified major league batters (12.9%), and batted .259/.299/.425. On the 2023 season, Grichuk's offensive production dipped despite hitting .308 in 64 games before being traded.
Los Angeles Angels On July 30, 2023, Grichuk and
C. J. Cron were traded to the
Los Angeles Angels for minor league pitchers
Jake Madden and Mason Albright. Grichuk was placed on waivers by the Angels on August 29, but was not claimed and remained with the club. On September 6, Grichuk was again placed on waivers by the Angels.
Arizona Diamondbacks On February 17, 2024, Grichuk signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the
Arizona Diamondbacks. In 106 appearances for the Diamondbacks, he slashed .291/.348/.528 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI. Grichuk declined his share of a mutual option for the 2025 season on October 31, and became a free agent. On February 4, 2025, Grichuk re-signed with the Diamondbacks on a one-year, $5 million contract with a mutual option for 2026.
Kansas City Royals On July 26, 2025, the Diamondbacks traded Grichuk to the
Kansas City Royals for pitcher
Andrew Hoffmann. He declined his mutual option with the Royals on November 3, 2025, and became a free agent.
New York Yankees On February 25, 2026, Grichuk signed a minor league contract with the
New York Yankees. On March 21, it was announced that Grichuk made the Yankees' Opening Day roster. He made 16 appearances for the team, batting .194/.212/.323 with two RBI. Grichuk was
designated for assignment by the Yankees on April 29. He elected free agency after clearing waivers on May 1. ==Awards and accomplishments==