The New York Yankees have faced significant uncertainty this spring, plagued by injuries after losing the 41 home runs and .989 OPS from Juan Soto, who will play for the New York Mets in 2025. One area the Yankees thought they had solidified was their defensive outfield alignment.
New free agent acquisition Cody Bellinger was expected to play center, perennial MVP candidate Aaron Judge was slated for right, and top prospect Jasson Dominguez was penciled in for left field. However, Dominguez’s shaky defensive performance in left field has cast doubt on those plans. Fans, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay, and even former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin have expressed frustration with Dominguez being given the starting spot, with Maybin even suggesting the team trade him to improve the defense.
Now, a more influential voice has weighed in—Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. On Friday, Cashman stated that Dominguez might not make the opening day lineup after all and implied that the highly touted rookie has yet to “earn” the spot.
“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 said during a media meeting. He also reminded that it’s still too early to make final judgments about Dominguez or any other player with less than three weeks until the regular season.
Cashman emphasized that decisions would be made closer to the start of the season, saying, “Don’t judge too much early in the camp with any of these guys. The last three weeks, you hone in on what’s real and make decisions.” In addition to his defensive struggles, Dominguez has also had issues at the plate this spring. In 27 plate appearances over nine games, he has struck out seven times and has five hits, including a home run, four singles, and one walk.
