Long after the final out of Game 5 of the World Series, New York Yankees top prospect Jasson Domínguez stood at his locker one last time before the offseason. The winter was already on his mind.
“A little bit of everything,” the 21-year-old outfielder said when asked about what he plans to work on in the offseason. “But I’ll be focused on my defense a lot.”
Not just in center field, his regular position.
“Taking more reps in left field is going to help me a lot,” he said.
It could also be music to the ears of the Yankees, who hope to emerge victorious in the sweepstakes for free agent superstar Juan Soto.
If the Yankees can re-sign Soto, it would be a near lock that Soto returns to right field and that Aaron Judge remains in center field for another season. That would leave left field open for Domínguez, whom The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the game in his midseason top-60 update.
Of course, the Yankees could — and likely would — bring in somebody to push for the job against Domínguez. But the powerful switch-hitter has long been an organizational favorite since the team gave him a franchise-record $5.1 million signing bonus at age 16 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019.
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Domínguez was on the Yankees’ roster for their entire playoff run but didn’t get an at-bat with Alex Verdugo earning all the playing time in left field. At the time, the Yankees preferred Verdugo’s defense and experience. Domínguez received a chance to win the job from mid-September to late-September but didn’t do enough in the Yankees’ minds to take it from Verdugo.
Manager Aaron Boone said he expected Domínguez to be a “big part of things going forward” in an interview in early November.
“I’m in that camp of people that think he’s going to be a great big-league player,” Boone said. “I love his makeup. I love his talent. … Always know as a young player, you’re working to earn those things and earn those opportunities. I fully expect him to be a big part of what we do this coming year — whether it’s center or left remains to be seen. It depends how our offseason shakes out.”
Domínguez debuted in the majors in 2023 and was a hit, smashing four home runs in eight games before needing Tommy John surgery. He missed last spring training and the early part of last season while recovering from the procedure, and he suffered an oblique strain, limiting him to just 44 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
When Domínguez returned to the majors in September, he hit just .179 in 56 at-bats and looked shaky on defense.
Still, he said the time he spent with the Yankees was invaluable.
“The whole (situation) was like new for me and from my standpoint, I could see how it really is in the postseason and how guys came together more, how things play in the postseason and I feel like it was a good experience for me, like in the future I’ll be more prepared,” he said.
And Domínguez said he especially plans to be more prepared for left field. While Soto was a finalist for an American League Gold Glove award in right field this season, he’s not generally viewed as a strong defender, often taking indirect routes to balls and lacking some fluidity and athleticism. If the Yankees re-sign Soto, it may be best for him to stay in right field, which, at Yankee Stadium, features a short porch and less space to patrol compared to the spacious left field in the Bronx.
“As I get more reps,” Domínguez said, “I’m getting more comfortable playing left field. That’s why this offseason I want to focus on that.”
(Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
