Yankees giving Jasson Dominguez a full runway in face of left field growing pains

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees from spring training TAMPA — Aaron Boone said on the first day of camp that “if you can play outfield in the Grapefruit League, you’re in a pretty good spot.”Through two games in left field this spring, the scoreboard reads: Grapefruit League 1, Jasson Domínguez 1.The Yankees are giving Domínguez a long runway this spring to make the full-time transition from center field to left field, after his late-season experiment there last year did not go well.And while his first game there Friday was uneventful, Sunday was more of a challenge, in part courtesy of the elements.Domínguez lost a ball in the sun during the Yankees’ 4-0 loss to the Tigers at Steinbrenner Field, and an inning later did not give himself the best chance to get to another ball in the gap after taking an inefficient route, though Boone said it would have been a hit either way.“There’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to handle left field,” Boone said after the game.

“We do like what we’ve seen these first couple weeks.”Since he arrived in Tampa, Domínguez has been working with outfield coach Luis Rojas on getting more comfortable in left field, with the Yankees planning to use Cody Bellinger in center field regularly.Boone said Sunday that configuration would be best because on days Trent Grisham comes off the bench to play center field (where he has won a Gold Glove), he doesn’t want to be bouncing Domínguez to left, preferring to keep him in one spot.For that reason, Boone does not necessarily plan on flip-flopping Domínguez and Bellinger on occasion this spring.“I want to give it a full runway of [Domínguez] doing all his work,” Boone said.“If I have to make a decision late — because I’m not worried about moving Belly at any given moment.

I don’t want to do that as much with Jasson.”Instead, the Yankees want to...