Domínguez gearing up to fine-tune bat in winter ball
This browser does not support the video element.
NEW YORK – It took until the ninth inning of the Yankees’ final game for Jasson Domínguez to log a postseason at-bat, coming off the bench and ripping a double to the wall in right-center field off the Blue Jays’ Jeff Hoffman.
“The Martian” will look to build on that when his next at-bats come in winter ball, providing the switch-hitter with a potential launching pad toward a starting role in the Yankees outfield in 2026.
Domínguez has begun workouts with Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League, confirming what the Yankees had hinted toward since their playoff exit: that the 22-year-old “Martian” would spend part of the offseason playing in his home country.
Asked if he views Domínguez as a starting outfielder in 2026, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in October that he “would expect him to be right in that mix.”
This browser does not support the video element.
“I still really like his ceiling,” Boone said. “I think he did a lot of really good things this year. But again, you’ve got to see where the winter takes you and what the roster looks like. I expect him to be a regular player for us.”
The 2025 season was uneven for Domínguez, who batted .257/.331/.388 (98-for-381) with 10 homers, 47 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in 123 games. His highlight came in a May 9 performance, in which he hit three homers against the Athletics in Sacramento, Calif.
Much of the early attention was focused on Domínguez’s defensive work in left field after issues late in 2024 bumped him out of postseason starts. Domínguez improved as the season went on, and though he played 100 games (94 starts) in left field, his reps fell off markedly in the second half.
Domínguez logged just 72 at-bats from Aug. 1 on, with the Yankees offering most of the outfield playing time to Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
“Left field continues to be a work in progress,” Boone said. “That being said, I think he’s made tremendous strides out there as well. I think we can all envision him becoming a very good defender out there, just with his athleticism, his speed, his arm strength and the work he’s put into it.”
The winter stint will provide Domínguez with an opportunity to fine-tune his hitting from the right side of the plate. Domínguez batted .274 (79-for-288) with a .768 OPS against righties, and just .204 (19-for-93) with a .569 OPS against lefties. Only one of his homers came off a lefty.
“I think a lot of that has to do with his lack of experience,” Boone said. “Being a very young man, he hasn’t played a ton of Minor League seasons, just with different injuries and stuff. Where has that affected him the most? The right side of the plate, where you get less at-bats.”
The Yankees’ outfield alignment could change markedly in ’26. Bellinger and Grisham are free agents, though the club did extend a qualifying offer to Grisham (valued at $22.025 million) and has expressed interest in re-signing Bellinger.
This browser does not support the video element.
Top prospect Spencer Jones (New York's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, No. 99 in MLB) could also come into camp with an opportunity to win a starting role. General manager Brian Cashman said recently that Jones might have been called up late in 2025, had the club’s outfield picture not been so crowded.
Though Domínguez came through the farm system as a center fielder, the Yankees have said they will continue to play Domínguez in left field.
Boone said he thought Domínguez handled his reduction in playing time “great,” calling him “a really good teammate.”
“There’s a real consistency in who he is,” Boone said. “Down the stretch, he was ready to go every day. He was prepared every day, and just as important, he was the same person and teammate every day. There’s improvement to be had there for him; he knows that. But I think this season showed us that we can still very much dream on the kind of high-end player we think he could be.”