When asked for his opinion on Dominguez’s progress in left field, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman sounded cautiously optimistic. “Obviously he hasn’t played a lot of left. So my impressions are he’s going to get all the reps he needs to secure that spot… and Boone’s running him out there as much as possible to make up for lost time,” Cashman said, per SNY Yankees Videos on X.
Dominguez’s natural position is center field. However, after New York failed to re-sign right fielder Juan Soto, the team pivoted, adding Cody Bellinger in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. The plan then became to move Aaron Judge from center field to right and to play Bellinger in center, which opened up a spot for Dominguez in left field.
The Yankees hope Jasson Dominguez seizes his opportunity in left field
Bellinger, a former league MVP and Gold Glove winner, is an experienced center fielder and the best option for the position of the bunch. But, much to the Yankees’ chagrin, Dominguez’s progress in left has been slow.
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“There’s a lane for him to take, I’d love for him to get that opportunity. He’s got the opportunity to take it, but he’s going to have to earn it at the same time,” Cashman added, via SNY.
New York remain hopeful Dominguez will catch on in left, creating a complete outfield. While there is no replacing Juan Soto, the 2025 Yankees have added several key pieces, including Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Max Fried, as they hope to build a deeper team with better defense and pitching than the squad that lost the World Series to the Dodgers in five games last season.
However, there’s still uncertainty surrounding left field. The other major hole in the Yankees’ defense is at third base. While Jazz Chisholm Jr. came over from the Miami Marlins mid-season and filled in fairly well at the position last year, manager Aaron Boone is moving him back to his natural spot at second base.
An injury to DJ LeMahieu has created a competition for the third base job between Oswaldo Peraza and Oswald Cabrera. The Yankees could trade for 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado, who would almost certainly offer an upgrade at the position. But so far, New York has been unwilling to make a deal for the 13-year veteran.
