NEW YORK — It looked, felt and played out like a playoff game for the New York Yankees.
It was Thursday. With the chance to clinch the American League East crown against the rival Baltimore Orioles, ace Gerrit Cole was on the mound and manager Aaron Boone ran out what may have been the team’s “A” lineup at Yankee Stadium.
In the 10-1 victory, Jasson Domínguez started in left field over veteran Alex Verdugo, who then entered the game in the top of the seventh inning to take over for the rookie. The Yankees’ top prospect also started in left field for the final five games of the regular season and in 11 of the last 17 games.
Were those indications that Domínguez was in the lead to start Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday?
“I have thoughts in my mind,” Boone said before the Yankees’ workout on Tuesday at home. “We’ll let that unfold.”
Consider: Cole will again be on the mound, facing the winner of the series between the Kansas City Royals and the Orioles. The Yankees will surely also want to put together their best lineup.
The decision may come down to the Yankees’ comfortability with Domínguez’s spotty defense but promising bat over Verdugo’s steady glove and underwhelming offensive production this season.
What has Boone thought of Domínguez since he was called up Sept. 9?
“Had some hiccups in the outfield,” Boone said. “He didn’t light up the stat line from an offensive standpoint, but I felt like he was having quality at-bats still.
“I know what he’s capable of on both sides of the ball and the speed component he brings to the table.”
Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham, Jasson Domínguez in working out together in LF pic.twitter.com/tAeSPfqYd0
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) October 1, 2024
It’s a pressing question for the Yankees, who likely are already leaning one way organizationally but won’t reveal their choice until the last second.
With Domínguez and Verdugo, who are both lefty hitters, it won’t come down to righty-lefty platoon advantage decision. (Dominguez is a switch-hitter, but he’s considered more threatening from the left side.)
On Tuesday, there were no indications that the Yankees had made their decision. Domínguez, Verdugo and Trent Grisham did defensive work together before they hit in the same batting practice group. They played catch together.
Offensively, Domínguez didn’t impress as much as he did in his brief MLB debut last year. Through 18 games, he hit just .179 with two homers and a .617 OPS. He struck out 19 times and had 11 walks in 67 plate appearances.
Defensively, the Dominican Republic native has been shaky, misplaying three balls over the season’s final week and a half, two of them in left field. He’s played just 610 career innings in left field professionally compared to Verdugo, who has logged 3,141 innings at the position in the majors alone. At Triple A, Domínguez experienced some growing pains while trying to judge balls in left field and his arm seemed erratic, an opposing evaluator told The Athletic early in September. He’s a natural center fielder, and he’s been projected as a future starter at the position ever since the Yankees gave him a franchise-record $5.1-million signing bonus at age 16 in 2019.
Meanwhile, Verdugo produced the worst offensive season of his career in 2024, hitting .233 with 13 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .647 OPS. His 83 wRC+ was the ninth-worst in baseball among qualified hitters. He’ll be a free agent next season, and while he’s been a key member of the Yankees’ team chemistry, he seems unlikely to return as the team figures to throw a nine-figure contract at star Juan Soto and could start Domínguez in left field on Opening Day next year.
On Sunday, Boone said that he thought Domínguez had been making progress with his glove.
“I’ve been encouraged with the last couple days out there,” he said. “Especially (Saturday), I thought he made some really good plays on a tough-condition day with the drizzle and the wind. I thought he moved well out there, made some tougher plays look easy. So that’s encouraging.”
Later that night, Verudgo said he didn’t know what his role would be in the playoffs.
“Playoffs is every pitch, every inning, every at-bat matters,” he said. “It’s no longer about what you did in the (regular) season. It’s really not. It’s about what you go out there and do and how clutch you can be.”
It’s also about what the Yankees think either Verdugo or Domínguez could do.
Starting Domínguez in left field for the last five games of the season sure made it look like the Yankees were trying to give him a crash course for October. And putting him in left field with Cole on the mound for his final start of the season could have been telling, as well. The Yankees seem to put their best behind Cole whenever he’s on the mound.
But as of Tuesday, Domínguez’s fate had been undecided — at least officially.
“I feel like he’s ready to go,” Boone said. “Whatever way we go, he’s going to play a big part.”
(Photo: Stephen Brashear / Getty Images)
