Insider 'Worried' About One Yankees Position For Postseason

One struggling position has a prominent MLB insider "worried" about the New York Yankees for October.

Sep 12, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) catches a fly ball hit by Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Despite two straight losses to the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Yankees remain in a good place heading into MLB's postseason.

Their magic number to clinch the AL East and secure the American League's first seed remains at one with four games left to play in the regular season, they have remained (mostly) healthy during the past few months, and are still considered favorites to win the 2024 World Series.

But New York is not perfect. There are still reasons for Yankees fans to feel uncertain about how their team will fare in the playoffs. And in a September 26 article, the New York Post's Jon Heyman discussed one position that gives him reason to "worry about Yankees in October".

"The left field solution still isn’t apparent," Heyman wrote.

"We loved it when they promoted Jasson Dominguez, an immense talent who provided sudden power in a 2023 cameo. But after a couple weeks, we can see occasional signs why Boone seemed reluctant to replace veteran Alex Verdugo. Dominguez, who overran a catchable fly ball near the line for a long single Wednesday, looks decidedly shaky in left while playing slightly more than half the games," he added.

Jasson Dominguez continues to struggle in the outfield. 2-0 Orioles pic.twitter.com/h1gW45k8NM

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 25, 2024

Baseball Savant cites Dominguez's Fielding Run Value at -2, which means that he has already conceded 2 more runs compared to an average outfielder this season, despite only having logged 107 innings in the outfield.

In contrast, Alex Verdugo's Fielding Run Value is +3 in 1,287 innings played, which is above average.

"Meantime, Verdugo continues to start about half the time, and his offensive woes haven’t abated even after reportedly discovering he was allergic to his batting gloves (he’s 3-for-his-last-23). This remains a competition with four games to go because Verdugo makes plays out there.

"Worry meter (1-5 scale): 4," Heyman concluded.

Given that Dominguez is still just 21 years old, of course there are still areas where he needs to improve. But a defensive mishap in October could prove costly for his team.