The New York Yankees are trying to play better baseball in the final weeks of the season and make a deep run.
The Yankees outfield could be a huge talking point in the coming weeks. The outfield is currently featuring Giancarlo Stanton in Aaron Judge’s place, as Judge recovers from a right flexor strain.
The outfield figures to get more crowded when rosters expand in September. Austin Slater could return from the injured list, or the Yankees could call up Spencer Jones, who is surging at the plate in Triple-A.
Jasson Domínguez has struggled against left-handed pitching and has recently been kept out of the lineup against right-handers as well. That is partly due to the Yankees’ desire to have superior defenders like Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger on the field when Stanton is in the outfield.
FanSided’s Stephen Parello suggests that Domínguez is “in danger of losing playing time” when the Yankees roster expands.
“Austin Slater will return from injury, though Slater’s role as a left-handed pitching masher won’t directly impact Domínguez,” wrote Parello. It will have a trickle-down effect, with Bellinger and/or Grisham likely sitting against lefties in favor of Slater, then later making up those missed at-bats against righties at Dominguez’s expense. Furthermore, should top prospect Spencer Jones get the call, that will bring yet another potent left-handed bat into the fold to erase Dominguez’s playing time.”
Domínguez is in his third season with the Yankees, but this is his first full season. He is still a rookie since he did not accumulate enough at-bats in his first two stints in the big leagues. He is slashing .258/.330/.393 with 10 home runs.
His defense is not the best, but he has been a valuable player on the team. However, it’s hard to argue for him to be an everyday player when the Yankees have Bellinger and Grisham as well.
Domínguez is hitting .276 with a .777 OPS against right-handed pitching. He still serves a role on the team, but the team may have better options down the stretch. He has started 97 games this season, and starts may get harder to come by next month.
