New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained his controversial decision to bench starting left fielder Jasson Dominguez. The Yankees have gotten off to a blistering start on offense in their first four games. And the 22-year-old outfielder has contributed to that start. However, Boone has decided to sub Dominguez out for Trent Grisham in three of these four contests.
In a postgame interview, Boone detailed why this will be the approach for the Yankees for the foreseeable future.
“I think it’s an important part of the process, making sure Jasson continues to develop in the best possible way. And I’m putting Trent Grisham in for him too who’s a really good player, and I feel like playing at a really high level right now.
Through his first several games he’s given us a lot of quality at bats so there’s a little bit of that and over time I feel like I won’t do that. Because I do feel like he’s going to get to a point where he continues to develop, he continues to get more comfortable with reps out there to where my expectation is that he becomes an outstanding defensive left fielder. So, I just want to makes sure his development goes as well as possible.”
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The Yankees will continue to rely on their young bats during this very important season
While New York does have several veterans leading to charge during this hot start, there is also a youth movement within the organization. Jasson Domiguez, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, and Ben Rice are all starting on a daily basis and are 26 years old or younger. Dominguez was considered the Yankees' top prospect going into 2025, and so far at the plate, it's not a surprise why. However, the 22-year-old is still a work in progress from the outfield. Trent Grisham, on the other hand, is a more established fielder than Dominguez.
With all that said, this is a questionable decision by Boone for two reasons. One, reps in high-leverage situations are only going to make Dominguez better in these moments later in the year. And two, Dominguez is missing late-inning at-bats where he is a superior hitter to Grisham. Boone clearly believes that this approach is just part of the young outfielder's development. Still, it is fair for fans to question this approach, especially when the Yankees start playing in more close games going forward.
