Jasson

Dominguez

A top-five percentile right fielder might have held Domínguez to a single on the three-bagger. A middle-90 percentile right fielder would have kept it to a double. Against Eloy Jiménez, though, Domínguez made it into third standing up. After starting off 2-for-16 this spring, Domínguez has gone 8-for-23 with two homers in his last seven games.

The homer to left-center was wind-aided to the point that Domínguez stopped at second base, unsure that it had left the yard. Domínguez has had a couple of incidents in left field this spring, but there’s little doubt that he’ll be an everyday guy for the Yankees, and he might even get to lead off initially. Given the amount of hype he’s received over the years, it’s kind of bizarre he’s not going earlier in drafts. He has a pretty good shot of going 20 HR-20 SB as a rookie and proving to be a bit of a fantasy bargain.

Boone also added that he envisions Cody Bellinger in center field with top prospect Jasson Domínguez in left field. Chisholm played third base last season for New York after coming over from the Marlins at the trade deadline, but he obviously has plenty of experience at the keystone from earlier in his career with Miami. He’s the logical solution for the Yankees following the departure of Gleyber Torres to Detroit and the club’s decision to ship Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams trade. The electrifying 26-year-old is one of the more dynamic power-speed combo contributors in the fantasy landscape and slots in as a top five option at second base.

The Yankees are going to pivot significantly after losing generational superstar Juan Soto to the Mets and Domínguez might finally get a real opportunity at the highest level. The 21-year-old phenom is universally-regarded as one of the top fantasy prospects in the game and could make a significant impact next year as a five-category contributor. We’re not ruling out the possibility that New York brings in some additional bats via free agency to challenge him, but he’s going to be one of the biggest names to watch in spring training.

Many people expected Dominguez to be a big part of the Yankees in 2024 after he hit .314/.376/.504 in 58 minor league games with 11 home runs and 16 steals. Yet, Boone continued to play struggling Alex Verdugo in left field over Dominguez. With Verdugo and Juan Soto both free agents, there may be space for Dominguez in 2024, but it depends on how the roster shakes out. The 21-year-old has played 239 minor league games in center field but just 58 in left field and one in right field. If the Yankees re-sign Juan Soto, they would be forced to leave Aaron Judge in center and make Dominguez adapt to left field, where he has struggled in the past. If Soto were to leave in free agency, then Judge could move to right field and Dominguez could play his more natural center field.

Verdugo over Jasson Domínguez was expected, but Cabrera over Ben Rice is a surprise. Cabrera didn’t play much in September, going 6-for-25 during the final month of the season. He made five starts at first base over the course of the year. The Yankees lineup: 2B Gleyber Torres, RF Juan Soto, CF Aaron Judge, C Austin Wells, DH Giancarlo Stanton, 3B Jazz Chisholm Jr., SS Anthony Volpe, 1B Cabrera, LF Verdugo.

This isn’t a huge surprise. While the Yankees maintained that Jasson Dominguez would play everyday once he was called up, that wasn’t the case. Assuming the Yankees use their best hitting lineup with Aaron Judge in center, Juan Soto in right and Giancarlo Stanton at DH, Dominguez will find himself on the bench with Verdugo in left field to begin the playoffs.

One of those options for left field is Jasson Dominguez, and Boone did state that he expects the 21-year-old to play a “big part” in their postseason plans. That doesn’t mean he’ll be in the lineup everyday, however, and the Yankees may want to ease the talented outfielder into action. Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham are other options for the Yankees, but don’t be surprise if The Martian is in the lineup against either the Orioles or Royals when that series begins.

Jasson Domínguez went 0-for-3 today, as both played with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto resting. That won’t happen in the postseason, of course. We’re guessing the Yankees will favor Verdugo in the ALDS, in part because of Domínguez’s defensive issues. Still, we’ll have to wait and see. Verdugo ends the year at .233/.291/.356 in 621 plate appearances. A free agent this winter, he’d benefit as much as anyone in the league from having a strong October.

Domínguez has started 10 of 14 games since his callup Sept. 9 and has hit .219/.342/.438. Verdugo has started eight games during the same span and hit .130/.200/.130.