Jasson Dominguez's early spring impact still doesn't solve Yankees' biggest problem

The early returns on Jasson Dominguez's spring training performance with the New York Yankees have been encouraging. He's looked relatively solid on defense and has gone 2-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI, a walk and a sac fly.

The Athletic left the young slugger of its first Opening Day roster projection for the Yankees, which isn't surprising because it's been rumored he's expected to start the season at Triple-A. Then again, fans are very much aware Dominguez can change that with an impactful spring performance by showing the team he's improved in two key areas.

The first is his defense. The jury's still out, but there haven't been any viral mishaps in his first few appearances. The other is his ability to hit from the right side of the plate, and his two lone at-bats offer little confidence.

Dominguez batted .204 with a .569 OPS in 104 plate appearances last year vs left-handed pitching from the right side of the batter's box. The Yankees had been hoping he'd be a switch-hitting weapon given their need for righty hitters (whoops, they got too many lefties after employing too many righties!), and it's been all the more puzzling because Dominguez is naturally a right-handed hitter.

This spring, Dominguez is 0-for-2 with two swift strikeouts as a righty hitter against left-handed pitching. He got sat down by Pirates relievers Gregory Soto and Hunter Barco on Monday. It would be insane to suggest those two at-bats already have him climbing an uphill battle, but it'd also be an overreaction to suggest his production from the left side of the plate has moved the needle for him at all.

Yankees still need Jasson Dominguez to answer biggest question at spring training

The team has come to expect Dominguez's ability from the left side of the plate. Throughout his minor league career he's been an excellent left-handed hitter and a relatively bad right-handed hitter. That's why it's all the more puzzling the Yankees are still even experimenting with this. How many more years of evidence do you need? And why do you think it'll improve as the competition at Triple-A and the big league level gets more difficult?

Dominguez's defense has obviously been a concern, but it would've been a non-issue if he was raking as a switch hitter and could've helped the Yankees with their lineup flexibility. His success from the right side of the plate likely outweighs whatever improvements he's able to make in left field.

Like we said, there's plenty of spring training left. But getting excited over Dominguez's production from the wrong side of plate isn't going to change his 2026 outlook (or future, for that matter) with the organization. And if Spencer Jones out-produces him offensively? That might be the nail in the coffin.