Yankees undecided on Alex Verdugo, Jasson Domínguez’s playoff role

NEW YORK — It was a few minutes after the Yankees shook hands for the 94th and final time during this regular season, celebrating a 6-4 victory over the Pirates that was powered in part by Alex Verdugo‘s two-run single through the right side of the infield.

Standing at the center of a half-circle of outstretched microphones and humming television cameras, the veteran outfielder was asked how he viewed his role for the upcoming postseason. A brief pause followed.

“I don’t know,” Verdugo replied.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he continues to ponder his lineup for Saturday’s ALDS Game 1, weighing Verdugo’s reliable defense against top prospect Jasson Domínguez’s offensive potential.

“We’ll let the week unfold,” Boone said. “I have thoughts in my mind, but we’ll let that unfold.”

The Yankees followed through on their statement that Domínguez would play regularly once promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, starting the 21-year-old in 15 of their 19 games from Sept. 9 on.

During that West Coast swing, Domínguez failed to track a Justin Turner fly ball that fell behind him on Sept. 18, then couldn’t find a bases-loaded Turner drive in the sun the next day, clanging off his glove as a run scored.

On Sept. 26 in New York, Domínguez misplayed a Colton Cowser fly ball into a two-run single early in a loss to the Orioles.

“Obviously, there are things I need to work on,” Domínguez said. “But I feel like with more work, I can get there. … I’ve been working almost every day in left field, getting my fungoes, shagging, everything. I don’t think I’m that far [off].”

Last season, Domínguez’s eight-game cameo provided a reason to watch as the Yankees fought to avoid the franchise’s first losing season since 1992, including a homer off the Astros’ Justin Verlander on his first swing in a Major League ballpark.

Highlight-reel moments were harder to come by in this second go-round. In 18 games this year, Domínguez hit just .179/.313/.304 (77 OPS+), with a double, two homers, four RBIs and five stolen bases.

“He obviously had some hiccups in the outfield and didn’t light up the stat line from an offensive standpoint,” Boone said. “But I felt like he was having quality at-bats still. I certainly know what he’s capable of on both sides of the ball and the speed component he brings to the table.”

Boone has pointed out the interrupted nature of Domínguez’s season; after returning from Tommy John surgery in May, Domínguez sustained an oblique strain while batting for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that kept him out of action until late July.

When Domínguez returned, he mainly played his natural position of center field; he saw just 11 Minor League games in left field, compared with 28 in center field and one in right field. Domínguez played 13 big league games in left field (12 starts), compared with four games in center field (three starts) and one as a designated hitter this season.

“I haven’t played a ton of games in left field, but I feel I can do it,” Domínguez said.

Said Boone: “I feel like he’s ready to go, and whatever way we go, he’s going to play a big part.”

The dimensions of Yankee Stadium’s left field add to the difficulty factor, as its large expanse is less forgiving than the right-field short porch that Juan Soto patrols. For example, that’s why Brett Gardner — a prototypical defensive center fielder — spent most of his career in left field.

It is also why the Yankees valued Verdugo’s above-average defense so highly following a 2023 season in which converted infielders Oswaldo Cabrera (325 innings) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (248 innings) led the team’s left fielders in innings played.

Verdugo concluded the regular season with a +3 Fielding Run Value in left field, fifth among Major Leaguers to play at least 750 innings at the position, a category led by the Orioles’ Colton Cowser (+10). Domínguez generated a -2 Fielding Run Value at the position in his small sample size this year.

The converse point is that Verdugo’s power dipped sharply in the second half, as he collected just 12 extra-base hits (nine doubles and three homers), compared to 30 before the All-Star break. Overall, Verdugo batted .233/.291/.356 (83 OPS+) with 13 homers and 61 RBIs in 149 games this season.

Yet Verdugo has some postseason experience under his belt, a factor Boone may weigh under October’s brighter lights. Verdugo logged 11 playoff games with the Red Sox in 2021, including a three-RBI performance in Boston’s AL Wild Card Game win over the Yankees.

“In the playoffs, every pitch, every inning, every at-bat matters,” Verdugo said. “It’s no longer about what you did in the season; it’s really not. It’s about what you can go out there and do, and how clutch you can be.”