Cody Bellinger is back with the Yankees. So is Trent Grisham. So what does that mean for Jasson Dom\u00ednguez and Spencer Jones?<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Aaron Boone said that the return of the veteran outfielders<\/a> changes the immediate outlooks for the younger ones. With Bellinger expected to primarily play left, Grisham manning center and Aaron Judge cemented in right, Dom\u00ednguez, 22, and Jones, 24, currently project as fourth outfielders at best at a point when they\u2019re still developing and could use regular playing time.<\/p>\n Of course, a lot can happen between now and the start of the season, and Boone is never one to get ahead of himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThat maybe complicates some things for them,\u201d Boone said of Bellinger and Grisham\u2019s impact on Dom\u00ednguez and Jones, \u201cbut we also know what potentially outstanding players they\u2019re going to be in this league, and we have a long time to go between now and, first of all, even the first spring training game, but certainly Opening Day. You never know what\u2019s going to come down the pike. So we\u2019re fortunate to have two really talented players.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you start predicting the future too early, and things change in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this offseason, Brian Cashman acknowledged that getting Grisham and Bellinger back could lead to Dom\u00ednguez and Jones being dangled in trade talks<\/a>. While that could still happen, several starting pitchers linked to the Yankees have since been dealt elsewhere.<\/p>\n With no obvious big-ticket alternatives to pursue on the trade block, it\u2019s certainly possible that the Yankees hang on to Dom\u00ednguez, who adjusted to a bench role last season, and Jones, who has yet to make his MLB debut.<\/p>\n Dom\u00ednguez would have the inside track when it comes to making the Opening Day roster in such a scenario, as he was expected to be the Yankees\u2019 everyday left fielder entering 2025. However, the switch-hitting Martian was a defensive liability in left and struggled from the right side of the plate<\/a> before he lost playing time. Improvements in both regards would help his case this spring, especially with the Yankees standing to benefit from the addition of a right-handed bench bat, though that could also come at catcher or first base.<\/p>\n Jones, meanwhile, is coming off a monstrous season split between Double-A and Triple-A. But there are still serious concerns about how often he swings and misses, especially on pitches in the strike zone.<\/p>\n The center fielder is also a left-handed hitter.<\/p>\n While Dom\u00ednguez and Jones don\u2019t have a clear path to regular playing time right now, that could change with an injury. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is always a candidate for an IL stint<\/a>, so it\u2019s not hard to see at-bats becoming available for Dom\u00ednguez or Jones, though that would make the Yankees\u2019 lineup even more left-handed than it already is<\/a>.<\/p>\n Boone also mentioned Bellinger\u2019s versatility while discussing Dom\u00ednguez and Jones. Bellinger is capable of playing all three outfield positions and first base, and he hits lefties well despite being one himself. While first baseman Ben Rice is expected to play more against southpaws, Grisham, a fellow portside swinger, struggled against them last season.<\/p>\n Those factors may create some opportunities in left field for Dom\u00ednguez or Jones, who could impact the Yankees well beyond 2026 if they stick around.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see how everything plays out,\u201d Boone said. \u201cThe reality is we have a lot of really good players, and Jasson and Spencer are part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cody Bellinger is back with the Yankees. So is Trent Grisham. So what does that mean for Jasson…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545853,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2376],"tags":[5,1365,3289,4,1690,62,2548,2547,5055,142],"class_list":{"0":"post-545852","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-yankees","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-cody-bellinger","10":"tag-jasson-dominguez","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-yankees","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkyankees","16":"tag-spencer-jones","17":"tag-yankees"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115984332661699653","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}