TAMPA – When Jasson Domínguez recently walked into the Yankees’ clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field, he found his locker in an unexpected spot.
His stall is between two MVPs: Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger. Surely that’s no coincidence.
“I was kind of surprised,” the 22-year-old said. “But it’s a good thing to be in that group and be able to learn from them.”
After years of hype and a couple of September call-ups, Domínguez now finds himself in prime position to become an Opening Day starter for the first time. The Yankees didn’t bother to address left field after Alex Verdugo hit free agency, making Domínguez the favorite for the job by a wide margin.
“I’d like to think so,” Aaron Boone said when asked if The Martian is his left fielder, though he’ll have to earn it. “I’d love for him to secure it and grab it, but my expectation is that he will.”
Domínguez had a chance to unseat Verdugo at the end of last season, but the natural center fielder struggled in left field and didn’t hit much after recovery from UCL surgery and an oblique injury robbed him of minor league reps. The Yankees stuck with the light hitting but defensively sound Verdugo in the postseason while Domínguez absorbed their run to the World Series from the bench.
Domínguez now feels more comfortable in left after spending a chunk of his offseason at the Yankees’ player development complex in Tampa. There he worked on his reads and angles with outfield coach Luis Rojas.
“It’s a little different,” Domínguez said, “but I think it’ll be good.”
Boone, who plans on using Bellinger in center, added that the Florida sun will help Domínguez prep for left this spring.
“If you can play outfield in the Grapefruit League, you’re in a pretty good spot,” the manager said.
In addition to left field improvement, Domínguez also expects better results from the right side of the plate. Those were hard for him to come by in the majors and minors last year, but he plans on remaining a switch-hitter.
Domínguez, who slashed .179/.313/.304 with two homers and four RBI over 18 big league games, admitted to feeling “a little bit lost” on the right side last year. After focusing on the rhythm of his right-handed cut, he’s expecting more production from both sides.
“I felt it could be better. I feel I was struggling a little bit,” Domínguez said of his general output. “This season’s gonna be better at right-handed.”
With Domínguez set to be a regular for the Yankees in 2025, expectations are high. That’s nothing new for the Dominican native, however, as he’s been surrounded by noise since signing with the Yankees for $5.1 million as a 16-year-old in 2019.
As far as he’s concerned, the pressure is welcome.
“It’s definitely there,” he said. “The pressure is there. But I feel like it’s a good thing to have because it’s motivated me to get better and to be the player that everyone expects me to be.”
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