At this very moment, with Aaron Judge unable to play defense due to his flexor strain, the New York Yankees are stuck with keeping Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup a few times per week. With the way this season has continued to spiral, that is not an option. Stanton needs to be in the lineup every day.
What’s the alternative? Oh, you’re afraid of Stanton getting injured if he plays defense too much? Well, what does it even matter? He’s injured almost every season and the Yankees still find a way to get by!
The Yankees need to risk anything and everything (with the exception of Judge’s health) as they lose grip on a playoff spot. The easiest plunge they can take is ensuring Stanton is in the lineup every day at Jasson Dominguez’s expense.
It does not get any worse than whatever Dominguez is doing in left field. It does not get any worse than how Dominguez is performing against left-handed pitching. The Yankees might’ve potentially ruined another highly-touted young talent, but there’s no time to think about that right now.
Dominguez has quickly become unplayable since the All-Star break. Not only has his defense somehow gotten worse, but he’s hitting .197 with a .531 OPS over the last three weeks. If the Yankees were rolling, that production wouldn’t be as glaring and they’d have the luxury to let him power through it. But they are not rolling. They are the worst team in the American League over their last 45 games. And Dominguez is no longer owed any chances.
Yankees must send Jasson Dominguez to the bench to accommodate Giancarlo Stanton
The Yankees can play Stanton in right, Trent Grisham in center and Cody Bellinger in left most days. If Stanton or Judge need a day off, Dominguez can slot right back in, but he has now lost everyday rep privileges in a development that’s been bubbling for a while.
His defense consistently costs this team runs, and his power at the plate is disappearing by the day. He’s now slugging .389 and his batting average has dropped to .253. He’s been a 0.4 WAR player this season. That’s replaceable, or at least it should be.
He’s a switch-hitter who cannot switch hit. He’s a center fielder who lacks a strong arm and versatility. He has nine home runs and 37 RBI on the year, and 56% of those homers were hit across two games while 38% of those RBI were logged across four games. Dominguez has merely been a body in this lineup. He hasn’t logged a multi-RBI game since July 4.
Like the rest of this roster, he has withered away when the team has needed him most. His defensive fundamentals have not improved. His approach at the plate has been weak and lifeless. He has two extra-base hits over the last full month of play.
Meanwhile, Stanton might be the best hitter on the team right now, and has been three times better than Dominguez in just 40 games (compared to Dominguez’s 99).
I think we’ve found our new fifth outfielder, Aaron Boone. Time to make this change until there’s a need to return to the status quo.
