Jasson Domínguez had a strong spring training performance for the New York Yankees. However, the team announced that the outfielder is being optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after he lost out in a tight roster crunch.
Domínguez, 23, did all he could to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, batting .325/.378/.600 with three home runs, 10 RBI and three stolen bases in 40 at-bats. However, he also struck out 11 times, tied for the second-most on the Yankees’ Grapefruit League roster, which likely didn’t help his case.
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Going into the spring, there didn’t seem to be an opening for Domínguez in the lineup with Cody Bellinger set for left field, Trent Grisham in center and Aaron Judge in right field. Even the designated hitter role was spoken for with Giancarlo Stanton, in addition to Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt likely getting at-bats there.
Domínguez’s place on the roster may have been decided when the Yankees signed outfielder Randal Grichuk just over a week into the Grapefruit League schedule. Grichuk hasn’t yet won a major-league roster spot, but is a better fit for the bench as a .268/.318/.500 hitter versus left-handed pitching.
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Meanwhile, Domínguez has a .530 career OPS against lefties. But even if he hit them well, the Yankees prefer that Domínguez play every day in Triple-A rather than platoon in the majors.
As a rookie in 2025, Domínguez hit .257/.331/.388 with 10 homers, 18 doubles, 47 RBI and 23 steals in 429 plate appearances.
That apparently wasn’t enough for the Yankees to feel confident with him as their starting left fielder, and the team re-signed Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract. Domínguez also wasn’t a realistic defensive option in center field and a qualifying offer was extended to Grisham.
