Yankees' Jasson Dominguez has solid defensive game in leftfield
Jasson Domínguez during the second inning of a spring training game last month. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Jasson Dominguez experienced a little bit of everything — good and bad — Sunday afternoon in the Yankees’ 10-4 loss to the Mets.
But it was far more good, just as the outfielder’s spring training has been overall.
The leftfielder, all but certain to start the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because he is blocked from getting everyday at-bats in the big leagues, went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. He is hitting .296 with a .791 OPS in Grapefruit League play.
Dominguez took a questionable route while trying to chase down Tyrone Taylor's gapper to left-centerfield in the third inning — it went for a double — but otherwise looked comfortable in the field, making multiple on-the-run catches. His day included a bullet throw from medium left that cut down Vidal Brujan at the plate, an on-the-fly strike to catcher Ali Sanchez after Dominguez caught A.J. Ewing's liner.
“A busy afternoon out there,” he said with a smile. “But I think it was pretty good. I got the chance to throw the guy out at home and it was a great play.”
Aaron Boone said one of the highlights of his team’s two-day trip to the east coast of Florida — the Yankees played in West Palm Beach on Saturday night before traveling an hour to play the Mets — was Dominguez’s play in left. Boone said he took particular encouragement that the back-to-back games came on the heels of a rough game for Dominguez.
“Coming off a game where he made some wrong throws, that’s what was good to see,” Boone said. “The bounce-back last night and then today, another really good play . . . The good thing is he’s played a lot, he’s worked a lot, he’s getting better. That’s probably one of the best parts about this trip over here, these last two games, is seeing how well he’s moved in the outfield. I feel like you’ve seen his athleticism out there the last two nights.”
Dominguez, whose struggles in leftfield last year have been well-documented — something that started late in the 2024 season when he began getting reps there — smiled again when asked about his comfort level at the position this year.
“Compared to last year? A lot,” he said. “A lot more comfortable.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
More Yankees headlines
