When it comes to the necessary business of replacing as much of Juan Soto’s lost production as possible, the New York Yankees will be hoping one of their most prized young talents is ready for a breakout.
That prized young talent is switch-hitting outfielder Jasson Dominguez, who mere days ago turned 22 years of age. The general expectation is that Dominguez will break camp as the Yankees’ starter in left field as they attempt to repeat as American League East champs in 2025. Speaking of Dominguez – and speaking of camp – manager Aaron Boone addressed reporters in Florida on Tuesday, and Dominguez’s status was a central topic.
“He’s a young guy who’s still got to go out and earn it,” Boone said when asked if Dominguez is considered his starter. “He hasn’t played a ton of baseball for as fast as he’s gotten to the big leagues and as much success as we’ve all seen him have. I think we all in this room would recognize just how talented he is. I’d love for him to secure it and grab it and my expectation is that he will…I feel like he’s in a good spot right now. He’s got a good look in his eye and he’s going to get every opportunity to be that guy and we certainly are hoping he shows us that.”
It’s not standard practice to declare a 22-year-old with exactly 100 major-league plate appearances as a lock for a starting job, and Boone is indeed avoiding such declarations. In his own words, though, he’s mentally leaning in that direction. Given Dominguez’s promise and the lack of other compelling options for the position, that makes sense, even if the anointing isn’t in the immediate offing.
As for that Yankees outfield, the addition of Cody Bellinger via trade with the Chicago Cubs allows uber-slugger Aaron Judge to move off of center field and into Soto’s vacated position in right field. Last year’s primary left fielder Alex Verdugo is still on the free-agent market and highly unlikely to return to the Bronx. Oswaldo Cabrera has experience in left, but at the moment he’s penciled in as the Yankees’ regular at third base. Trent Grisham is still on the roster, but he seems ticketed once again for a fourth-outfielder role. That leaves Dominguez.
Over those aforementioned 100 big-league plate appearances, he’s put up a solid 107 OPS+ despite his youth and despite his playing time being doled out somewhat erratically. Back in the minors when he was a consensus top-50 prospect, Dominguez put together a career slash line of .274/.373/.444 despite being significantly younger than his peer group at every step. He boasts advanced patience at the plate, and he’s yet to reach his ceiling as a power hitter. It seems like he’ll get a chance to approach that ceiling in 2025 and benefit from consistent reps and a near-daily presence in Boone’s lineup.
To state the obvious, Dominguez isn’t going to replicate the generational production of Soto, who inked a record free-agent contract with the crosstown New York Mets. However, a Dominguez breakout in tandem with the Yankees’ improvements in other areas – Max Fried, Devin Williams, Paul Goldschmidt, and Bellinger are all new to the fold – would help cushion that loss. The Yankees’ hopes in 2025 in part hinge on that happening.
Read the full article here
