Is my tie rod ball joint bad?

Hi all. I was changing my motor oil today and noticed a pretty good build up of grease around my driver side tie rod ball joint. I couldn't find a tear but the driver side was greasy whereas the passenger side was dry. Is it normal for these to seep a little bit of grease or did my boot go bad? I guess if it is bad it's not a big deal since my truck is still under warranty, but still it's kind of frustrating that a 3 year old truck already has a damaged ball joint. Here are some pics:

 

The ball joint still looks like it’s bulging, and full of grease. Since the whole area is covered, I’d be willing to guess it’s something you ran through or road grime

 

Hit it with some brake cleaner and wire brush the castle nut clean. Check again in a few days. Plus when you go to disconnect it to work on it, having a nice clear, clean castle nut will be nice instead of gobbed up threads.

 

I'll try that. I'm hoping it's just road grime like someone else said.