With the Yankees entering the final week of Spring Training, they have some tough roster decisions to make, and they’ve seemingly made one of their bigger ones at DH. Dominic Smith was in the running for a spot on the team’s roster after a strong Spring Training, but he was scratched from today’s lineup and has opted out of his deal according to Robert Murray of FanSided.
The impressive swings that Ben Rice has had in camp coupled with the redundancy that Smith brought to the roster as a first baseman and DH made him someone who would be tough to fit alongside Rice on the roster. This keeps the door open for another NRI like Pablo Reyes to make the team, as he’s a right-handed hitter who has hit better against LHP in his career, and has the positional versatility to play all over the diamond.
It doesn’t automatically mean the player is being released, but given his solid numbers in camp, it would be surprising if he didn’t land a job with a different organization that has less of a clear plan at DH or first base.
Dominic Smith’s Opt-Out Puts Ben Rice In the Clear Lead For Yankees’ DH Job
With three home runs and a 109 wRC+ through 13 games with the Yankees in Spring Training, Dominic Smith had a strong camp and certainly put himself in the running for the DH job at various points in March. He couldn’t fend off Ben Rice, whose improved exit velocities made him the obvious pick for the job especially considering that both he and Smith were left-handed batters.
The Yankees likely viewed Dominic Smith as a redundancy on a roster that had too many left-handed hitters in the DH rotation, as without Giancarlo Stanton the expected candidates are Ben Rice, J.C. Escarra, Austin Wells, Jasson Dominguez, and Aaron Judge in some form of rotation. They could have some more right-handed depth and overall roster versatility with Pablo Reyes, who has a 144 wRC+ and .455 OBP through 15 games this Spring Training.
In his career as a journeyman for five organizations, Reyes has a 105 wRC+ and .333 OBP in 213 trips to the plate against LHP, which could be valuable given the team’s lack of pop against southpaws.
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Reyes could be valuable in their infield, boasting solid defensive numbers at third base while playing a solid left field as well, having an extremely versatile defensive profile. The Yankees may also look to just add a right-handed bat in the final week before regular season games kick-off, as the team has made it a point to continue searching for a hitter who can help them against RHP, whether it’s at third base or in the outfield.
They also have Trent Grisham who has a career 110 wRC+ vs LHP and could get reps in CF with Aaron Judge moving to DH in games against southpaws. Aaron Boone seems willing to make some pretty radical changes in the offense depending on the matchup, as Jack Curry reported today that Paul Goldschmidt could see games at the top of their lineup against left-handed pitching thanks to his .366 OBP in those matchups last season.