Acce s the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. CLEARWATER, Fla. Yankees manager to give Ja son Domnguez a full runway this spring to learn left field. It is still very early, but all the space he can get before liftoff. In his fourth spring training game, The Martian experienced his second adventure in left field as he adjusts to a position that haunted him last September and will require a learning curve. On Thursday, Domnguez could not finish off a tough play, a deep drive going in and out of his glove on what became a double from Edmundo Sosa. In the third inning, Sosa crushed one that Domnguez chased with his back to the plate. Explore More He reached the warning track on the run and might have misjudged the balls trajectory, leaving his feet with a small hop that was not needed before he reached the wall. Ja son Dominguez mi ses a fly ball off the bat of Edmundo Sosa of the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on Feb. 27, 2025, in Clearwater, Florida. Getty Images A mid-air Domnguez tried to scoop the ball out of the air, and it deflected off his glove and onto the track. I got Dontrae Henderson Jersey a good route. I jumped to catch it, Domnguez said after the 7-7 tie with the Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. I reached for it. The ball touched my glove, and it came out. The play was not routine and was not an error, but it was a play that the Yankees will hope he can make in late March , as expected, the Opening Day left fielder. Thats about as tough a play as youre going to have, Boone said. I gue s its always a story every one that JD has, but that ones top-spinning over your head, bullet, tough play. Ja son Dominguez throws the ball back into the infield fielding an RBI double hit by Philadelphia Phillies Edmundo Sosa in the third inning on Thursday. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post So well look at it. We still got work to do, obviously, but thats about as tough of a chance as youre going to have. Every chance Domnguez has will be scrutinized after he struggled in left field last September, which resulted in the Yankees sticking with Alex Verdugo at the position for the postseason. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! The Yankees let Verdugo walk in free agency and have not signed a replacement, hoping Domnguez can use six weeks of spring training to adapt to the position with Cody Bellinger a suming center field. A has been hyped to the moon (or Mars) since signing, Domnguez is a natural center fielder with all of the physical tools. Ja son Dominguez cannot catch a double hit by Philadelphia Phillies Brandon Marsh in the first inning of Thursdays game. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Hes a tremendous athlete, said Carlos Rodn, who started Thursday. I think he has all the tools to become an elite defender. Now, I think thats something that could take time. In Domnguezs second Grapefruit League game, he lost a fly ball in the sun on one instance and could not reach a gapper to left-center field in another tough (but perhaps catchable) play. The Yankees do not have an obvious left-field answer if Domnguez is not the answer, with fourth outfielder Trent Grisham, Oswaldo Cabrera (who is in the third-base competition) and perhaps prospect Everson Pereira on the roster as options. Ja son Dominguez on the field before a game this week in Florida. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post With such a small sample size, Domnguezs comfort level is probably more important than the results at this stage. Ive been feeling better, but its still definitely something Im working on, the 22-year-old said. Obviously, you want to make every play, but its a proce s. Quinn Warren Jersey