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Three Yankees to Watch Closely in Spring Training

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As spring training gets underway at Steinbrenner Field, a few Yankees in particular will be worth keeping an eye on.

The New York Yankees have had a very busy winter; and now, with spring training upon us, it’s time to see the new roster come to fruition. With additions like Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt, this team is looking very different, and perhaps better, than last year’s squad. Still, there are still quite a few questions facing manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees brass, particularly a few young players who have a lot to prove this spring. With that said, here are three Yankees to pay close attention to during Spring Training.

Three Yankees to Watch in Spring Training

Oswald Peraza

The 24-year-old really hasn’t been the top prospect the Yankees thought he was. In his short and sparse major league stints, he’s been mostly mediocre offensively, albeit a decent defender and a good runner. There also hasn’t been much of an opportunity for him to join the big league roster full-time, other than in 2023 when he competed with Anthony Volpe to start at shortstop.

That is, until now. The Yankees have opted for an internal option at third base, rather than going after someone like Nolan Arenado or Alex Bregman. So far, all signs point to DJ LeMahieu or Oswaldo Cabrera competing for the hot corner, with the Yankees seeming oddly confident in a declining LeMahieu’s ability to hit like he used to. With an impressive Spring Training, Peraza could give the Yankees no choice but to bite the bullet on LeMahieu and put him at third to begin the season.

Ben Rice

The first baseman put on quite a show in his first month in the Bronx last season, peaking with hitting three homers in a single game against the Boston Red Sox on July 6th. After that, though, Rice’s bat fell off fast and hard. Over 50 games, the rookie put up a slash line of .171/.264/.349 with 7 homers and 23 RBI. However, after being sent back down to Triple-A, he went back to absolutely raking. In 20 September games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders, Rice hit nine homers with an OPS of 1.064.

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With Goldschmidt at first, there’s little chance that Rice gets much starting time barring injuries. But with a good outing this spring, he could show Aaron Boone and Co. that he’s worthy of a spot in the majors, or even able to take the reins at first in 2026.

Jasson Domínguez

The Yankee with the most to prove this season is undoubtedly Domínguez. The 22-year-old has been one of baseball’s most hyped prospects in recent years, and this season he’ll finally be a regular in the starting lineup. When he first came up in 2023, he looked to be everything the Yankees expected and more. Last season, though, things weren’t as peachy. Limited by injury to 18 games, Domínguez posted a .617 OPS along with some very spotty defense in left field.

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According to Boone, Domínguez will likely be the starter in left field this season, despite center field being his natural position. He’ll get to work on adjusting to left this spring, but it’s really his hitting that the Yankees should be more worried about. The success of “The Martian” could turn this Yankees lineup from a good one into an elite one, so pay very close attention to what Domínguez does this spring. The Yankees’ hopes of bringing home a World Series could rely on it.

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