TAMPA — Jasson Domínguez’s quest to earn the Yankees left field job started off in style.
It will take more than a home run in live batting practice on the first day of full-squad workouts to lock up the starting role, but Domínguez did take Carlos Rodón deep from the right side Monday to serve another reminder of his potential.
Now he just needs to follow through on it.
“The pressure is there, but I feel like it’s a good thing to have because it’s motivation to get better to be the player everyone expects me to be,” the long-hyped prospect, who only just turned 22, said Monday.
Among the things the Yankees will need to see from Domínguez this spring is better defense in left field than he showed there late last season after making the transition from center, largely on the fly.
He spent the past two weeks at the club’s player development complex taking fly balls in left field and will now have the six-week runway of spring training to adjust to all the angles and intricacies of the position.
“My mindset is keep working on my left field reads and trying to get more used to it,” Domínguez said. “I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
Domínguez also struggled offensively last season in the small sample size of 18 games in the majors, batting just .179 with a .617 OPS — much different than his red-hot debut in September of 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The switch-hitter said he felt “lost” from the right side last year, but spent the offseason getting his rhythm back there.
“Over time, I think he’s going to be a real factor from both sides of the plate,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s probably further along right now left-handed. The results would suggest that. But it’s a pretty small sample for a young man who’s young in his career.”
In the meantime, Domínguez will spend the spring with his locker sitting between Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, with whom he is expected to share the outfield this year.
“Me and Bellinger were joking with him about, ‘You got two Rookie of the Years right next to you, this is going to be your year,’” Judge said. “‘If you go out there and do your thing, something special’s going to happen.’ We’re going to definitely be on him, try to be a good resource, be good mentors to him. But he’s got a great head on his shoulders.”
Boone is not planning on playing Austin Wells in the first week or so of Grapefruit League games to allow the catcher to ease into action coming off a heavy workload last season.
“Really, just how much he played down the stretch and having never been down the stretch,” Boone said. “Let alone in September and October, the amount of games he played in the second half, at times a little banged up but overall pretty good. Then obviously having a little shorter offseason. I think he’s in a great spot and he’s doing everything he needs to do to be ready.”
Rodón threw 42 pitches across three “ups” in live batting practice Monday, including striking out Domínguez, Bellinger and Judge to start off his outing. … The Yankees added a 71st player to big league camp Monday, inviting lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny to spring training on a minor league deal. The 32-year-old, who owns a career 4.30 ERA across parts of six seasons in the big leagues, offers another option for lefty relief along with Tim Hill and non-roster invite Tyler Matzek.
