Yankees put top prospect's development at risk to placate slumping star

The New York Yankees are hoping to bounce back from what was a frustrating series loss against the Tampa Bay Rays, and have released their lineup for their series opener against the San Diego Padres. Red-hot hitters Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice lead the way, but former top prospect Jasson Dominguez finds himself on the bench. Struggling star Cody Bellinger is playing left field instead.

Dominguez has not started every game in a given series in a couple of weeks. Grisham's hot start has him playing often, and rightfully so, but for reasons that only Aaron Boone can explain, Bellinger continues to play just about every day with Dominguez sitting a ton.

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Yankees refusal to bench Cody Bellinger puts them and Jasson Dominguez in worse spot to succeed

Bellinger has appeared in 31 of New York's 34 games and has started 29 of them. Dominguez, on the other hand, has appeared in and started just 28 contests. This might not seem like a massive difference, but Dominguez has appeared in just six of New York's last nine games, while Bellinger has appeared in all nine of those contests with eight starts.

At this point, it's really hard to justify benching Dominguez in favor of Bellinger, especially against right-handed pitchers. Right-hander Nick Pivetta (whom Bellinger has gone 2-for-8 with four strikeouts against in his career) is pitching for the Padres.

As this X user points out, Dominguez has strafed right-handed pitching this season, while Bellinger has really struggled. Given that, what are the Yankees accomplishing by benching him? If Dominguez wasn't hitting, it'd make sense to bench him, but he's greatly outperforming Bellinger. What's the justification here?

Sure, Bellinger is a better defender, but can't he be a late-game defensive replacement if the Yankees are ahead? Bellinger is also paid more, but should that really influence the decision? He's really struggled against right-handers and has a .639 OPS overall. Bellinger, a former MVP winner, certainly doesn't want to sit on the bench, but that might be what's best for the team at this point.

Sitting Dominguez on the bench, especially against right-handed pitchers, does nothing. It does not help his development, and it does not help the Yankees win when Bellinger is starting over him. Hopefully, Aaron Boone makes the adjustment to play Dominguez more, especially against right-handed pitchers, over Bellinger. It's not only what's best for Dominguez, but it's what's best for the Yankees.