Brian Cashman’s perfect world includes the Martian.
With at least one vacancy in the Yankees’ outfield, Cashman hopes top prospect Jasson Domínguez can break through in 2025.
“I know I’d like to see Domínguez get his shot,” Cashman said Wednesday. “Now, he’s young. That means he’s gonna have to earn it, he’s gonna have to retain it, all that stuff. That’s all fair play, but let’s see how things play out, what gets presented.”
The Yankees’ roster remains a work in progress, but last year’s starting left fielder, Alex Verdugo, is a free agent. Aaron Judge, meanwhile, is expected to move back to right field following Juan Soto’s departure for the Mets, creating a potential opening in center field, too.
One of those outfield spots could go to Cody Bellinger, whom the Yankees acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs this week, but Bellinger is also an excellent defender at first base, where last year’s starter, Anthony Rizzo, is a free agent as well.
And that’s where Domínguez comes in.
Domínguez’s primary position is center field, but the Yankees called him up in September and tried him in left field.
The rookie struggled at the position, committing multiple defensive misplays during that late-season audition, which prompted manager Aaron Boone to roll with Verdugo as his starting left fielder throughout the Yankees’ playoff run.
“This offseason, I’m going to get better at my defense in left field,” Domínguez told the Daily News after the Yankees’ season-ending loss in Game 5 of the World Series. “I’m going to take more reps in left field.”
Domínguez, who turns 22 in February, has looked more comfortable as a center fielder than he has in left.
While Bellinger’s experience in center field (509 games) is much vaster than it is in left (41), he expressed a willingness Thursday to play either position. Bellinger won a Gold Glove in 2019 as a right fielder.
Nicknamed “the Martian” for his out-of-this-world skillset, the switch-hitting Domínguez flashed offensively during a brief callup in September 2023. He hit four home runs in eight games before an elbow tear required season-ending surgery.
Domínguez returned to action in May in the minor leagues but suffered an oblique injury in June, costing him another six weeks.
He finished the 2024 season with a .314 average, 11 home runs and an .880 OPS in 226 minor-league at-bats but hit just .179 with two homers and a .617 OPS in 56 at-bats with the Yankees.
“I continue to be super excited about Jasson’s future,” Boone said last month. “I’m in that camp of people that think he’s going to be a great-big league player. I love his makeup, I love his talent, and so I do expect him to be a big part of things moving forward.
“Always, though, as a young player, you’re working to earn those things and earn those opportunities. But I fully expect him to be a big part of what we do this coming year.”
In October, Domínguez told The News his goal is to make the Opening Day roster.
On Wednesday, Cashman made it clear that the Yankees would not consider Domínguez for a bench role.
“He’s gonna play every day,” Cashman said, “whether it’s on the major-league side or the minor-league side.”
