A busy Yankees offseason included adding a potential ace in Max Fried (who has essentially replaced Gerrit Cole), replacing Anthony Rizzo with Paul Goldschmidt, replacing right fielder Juan Soto with center fielder Cody Bellinger to push Aaron Judge to right, and replacing Clay Holmes with Devin Williams.
The Yankees did not pull the trigger in landing external replacements in two notable spots: left field and third base.
When the curtain goes up Thursday in The Bronx, where they chose inaction will take center stage.
Jasson Domínguez is expected to be the club’s seventh different Opening Day starting left fielder in the past seven years, and Oswaldo Cabrera likely will get the nod at third base as the team’s confidence in its youth will receive its first test.
Domínguez flunked his first test in left field — he looked lost last September, which ensured Alex Verdugo was the left fielder for October — but an offseason and spring training of reps at the spot has brought more confidence to the 22-year-old top prospect and his team.
There were issues early during the Grapefruit League season, when he misplayed a few balls, but those lowlights were gone over the last few weeks of play.
“I think the work we’re seeing is mostly really good,” manager Aaron Boone said of Domínguez, who, against Brewers righty Freddy Peralta, figures to follow Giancarlo Stanton, Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier, Joey Gallo, Cabrera and Verdugo as the most recent Opening Day left fielders. “I think his routes have been good lately — real direct routes. And when he does that, you see the speed, and he’s able to really eat up ground that most guys that play out there don’t.
“And then it’s just completing plays … I feel like that continues to improve.”
It is possible more growing pains will surface during the season, but it is also possible Domínguez’s bat can compensate for deficiencies.
One of the most hyped prospects of all time has a solid defensive reputation and excellent speed, but the potential in his bat is what makes the Yankees salivate.
“He’s got that capability,” Boone said after a Domínguez spring homer. “I think he’s got the ability to control the strike zone, hit with power to all places.”
Cabrera’s bat is a more significant question.
The Yankees are entrusting the heavy side of a third base platoon to a former super-utility player who posted a .643 OPS in 827 plate appearances over his first three seasons.
But the 26-year-old switch-hitter is stronger from the left side, closed last season strong (.776 OPS in his final 42 games) and had a nice spring.
Cabrera outplayed his competition during camp, during which DJ LeMahieu went down immediately and Oswald Peraza did little with his bat.
The in-season competition, though, could be steeper as the Yankees decide whether to stick with a platoon or upgrade externally.
“He’s a good player, he’s obviously a really good defender,” Boone said of Cabrera. “It’s finding that next level of consistency at the plate to earn more and more reps over there, more and more regular playing time. We’ve seen flashes of that throughout his career. We’ve seen flashes of that in spring training.
“It really comes down to continuing to do a better job of really controlling the strike zone to another level. If he does that, confident he’ll be a productive player for us, especially in and around the bottom of the order.”
When the Yankees see lefty Nestor Cortes on Saturday, they will have a choice to make.
If Peraza — who has no more minor league options — is still with the team, he could get a look, though righty-hitting utilityman Pablo Reyes had a solid camp.
“I think we’ll be all right,” Boone said of the third base plan.
— Additional reporting by Greg Joyce
