It sure seems like the New York Yankees will be without slugger Giancarlo Stanton to start the 2025 season, as he showed up to camp dealing with pain in both of his elbows. New York's lineup was already looking somewhat perilous thanks to the departure of Juan Soto, and losing Stanton for any extended period of time will really put pressure on everyone else to pick up the slack. But one player in particular: outfielder Jasson Domínguez, finally set to get an honest shot at locking down a starting outfield job in the Bronx.
Domínguez has the upside of being a formidable piece in the middle of the order. Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman want the 22-year-old to earn his spot, and he’s doing just that in Spring Training so far. In live batting practice on Monday, the man they call “The Martian” cracked a home run off of New York's $162 million starter, Carlos Rodón, then followed it up with another missile off the wall.
Martian Mash! 👽 Jasson Domínguez homers off Carlos Rodón: pic.twitter.com/prtLpTupLb
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) February 17, 2025
Jasson Domínguez could be a top hitter in the Yankees lineup in 2025.
— James Nolan (@JamesNolanPod) February 17, 2025
pic.twitter.com/o4V4eF9aNV
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Jasson Domínguez doing everything to prove he should be a part Yankees' Opening Day lineup
With Stanton’s injury, the Yankees need to find a way to replace his bat in the lineup, a lineup that doesn't pack nearly the same punch as it did last season. Outside of Aaron Judge, no one hit more than 30 home runs in 2024.
Adding Cody Bellinger should help, but expecting the former NL MVP to hit 30-plus home runs could prove foolish; even in his bounce-back 2023 season, he would’ve only had 25 home runs in Yankee Stadium, according to Baseball Savant. Paul Goldschmidt is an upgrade over Anthony Rizzo, but his best years are behind him: His OPS, batting average, and home runs have decreased significantly since 2022, while his strikeout rate has also skyrocketed.
Having a guy like Domínguez in the lineup could potentially hide some of the current holes this Yankees team has. Projected starting third baseman DJ LeMahieu hasn’t had much success in recent years, posting a -1.6 WAR in 2024 and a subpar .698 OPS since 2021. Anthony Volpe is stellar defensively but not so much offensively: Through two seasons, he’s hit .228 with a .288 on-base percentage.
Domínguez is one of the only pieces of the team's everyday lineup who has the potential to be a cornerstone for the Bronx Bombers. Across three Minor League levels in 2024, the young outfielder hit .314 with a .880 OPS. If that success can translate to the majors, he’d be one of the best hitters in their 2025 lineup, and add some needed upside behind Judge to complement New York's group of sturdy veterans.