At long last, it is officially baseball season. The New York Yankees are packing their bags for Tampa, where pitchers and catchers are set to report for Spring Training this week. Position players will meet them at George Steinbrenner Field shortly thereafter.
The Bronx Bombers are eager to return to the World Series and redeem their ignominious loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That mission begins in their first Grapefruit League game on Feb. 21.
Looking to carve out their spot on a team with multiple holes to address, here are five Yankees to keep an eye out for this spring.
Jasson Dominguez
In his first major league swing, outfielder Jasson Dominguez clobbered a Justin Verlander fastball over the left field wall of Minute Maid Park. Two games later, the Martian sent Christian Javier’s slider into orbit. The only problem is that it was two years ago.
The Yankees’ No. 1 prospect made an emphatic first impression as a September call-up in 2023, but untimely injuries left him stranded in the minors for the bulk of last season. When Dominguez was finally called back up a year later, he struggled to replicate the same success and was relegated to a pinch-runner in the postseason.
Still just 22 years old, the switch-hitting slugger is gearing up for his first full season in pinstripes. According to general manager Brian Cashman, left field is his position to lose, but he has to “earn it.”
Spencer Jones
The Yankees have a left-handed monster in their farm system, but he’s yet to reap the benefits of the short porch. The 23-year-old outfielder Spencer Jones hit .259 with a .788 OPS and 17 homers in 122 games last season with Double-A Somerset but was held back by his staggering 36.8% strikeout rate, described by FanGraphs as “terrifying” and “bust-indicating.”
But Jones has been in the lab this offseason, showcasing a new and improved swing that mirrors that of the team captain, Aaron Judge. Now, it’s time to show it off.
Jorbit Vivas
New York has a massive hole to address in the infield. Without a legitimate trade target in sight, the club will search for solutions internally. Cashman believes that an infield spot is up for grabs this spring and that 23-year-old Jorbit Vivas will be in the running.
“Obviously, between [Oswald] Peraza, [Oswaldo] Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu, Vivas, we’re going to have some guys taking some reps trying to earn a spot, whether it’s at second or third,” he said.
Vivas’ stats may not paint the prettiest picture, as he hit just .225 with a .713 OPS and nine homers in 93 games with Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. However, he could emerge as a serious candidate due to the lack of options at said positions: Peraza has yet to find his footing at the major league level; Cabrera is best suited for a super-utility role; and LeMahieu’s best days are well behind him.
Chase Hampton
Twenty-three-year-old righty Chase Hampton entered last season as a top-100 prospect after asserting himself as the best pitcher in the Yankees’ farm system. There, he posted a 3.63 ERA with 145 strikeouts across 20 starts, splitting time between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset.
However, he was plagued by injuries and limited to just seven starts in 2024. But according to Cashman, Hampton is “healthy again” and ready to go. And according to Hampton, he’s “ready to rock” in Spring Training.
Juxtaposing their situation in the infield, the Yankees have plenty of starting pitching at the major league level, boasting a stacked rotation headlined by Gerrit Cole and Max Fried. But just as the Yankees determined back in 2003, “you can’t have too much pitching.”
Ronaldo Hernández
The Yankees announced on Sunday that catcher Ronaldo Hernández would be one of two new invitees to spring training alongside lefty pitcher Jayvien Sandridge. At 27 years old, Hernández has yet to debut in the Show after spending nine seasons in the minor leagues.
But after nearly a decade, it could finally be time for Hernandez to get the call. He spent last season raking with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, hitting .311 with a .864 OPS and 11 homers in 63 games.
Hernández also addresses a major need for the Yankees. In December, New York traded Jose Trevino to Cincinnati in exchange for reliever Fernando Cruz, leaving the club without a backup catcher behind Austin Wells. If Hernández performs well in spring, he could find his way onto the major league roster.
