One of big open questions for the Yankees entering the NLDS with the Kansas City Royals depended on who would get playing time in left field.
The problem facing Aaron Boone was whether the reward of having the bat of Jason Dominguez in alignment – on a collapse Alex Verdugo — outweighed the risk of having the youngster on the field after failing to raise concerns that he would be a defensive liability to rest in the final weeks of the regular season.
The manager chose Verdugo and was rewarded with two hits and a Winning RBI at the end of the first game. The veteran retained his spot in left field as the Yankees look to close out the series on Thursday night.
“I expected it,” Verdugo said before Game 4 about the start of the series, adding that he had a conversation with the skipper during the bye. “We kind of understood and we were on the same page. My job is just to go out there and make every play I can, get up there and make good situations: pass guys and get guys in.
“I felt like my at-bats were a lot better, controlling the zone a lot better and, minus a few or two or three at-bats where I was a little too aggressive early on. I’ll take that any day.
Asked about the conversation about “being on the same page” with the manager, Verdugo said: “I think we see it. I just play, I’m there every day. To be there. That’s kind of what we formed. the team at the start of the year.
“Like I said, when it’s time to really shine, I really do something that I live for that scene and I love it. And that’s the kind of baseball I want to be a part of and I think the team would agree that it’s just good, it’s a good fit, it feels good.”
He added: “For me, it was just the page. I want to be there every day for my guys. I’m going to save every run I can and I’m also going to produce at the plate.
Despite only having nine starts compared to Dominguez’s 15, Verdugo was confident he would get the nod for the playoffs as he felt he played much better towards the end of the regular season and he had experience.
“I have a real career, which means I have a track record, I played several years in the major leagues, I’ve done it before,” he said. “I’ve never been to the World Series, but I look back on some of my past memories and things like that. I understand who I am as a player and when we have to go, no matter how I feel, you have to go, compete, give 100 percent.
When Dominguez was recalled the first week of September, the Yankees planned to giving the 21-year-old game time almost every day. Meanwhile, Verdugo wasn’t worried about losing his job because, in a way, it had already happened.
“I felt like it was a test for him,” he said. “They wanted to give him playing time, I kind of knew I was losing time. So, yeah, I was upset, but at the same time, I felt like I needed to fix some things in my body , physically and obviously by eating a little better too. So I started doing it, using these rest days to dedicate myself to work days.
Verdugo added that he was “motivated” and focused on some things that he had “fallen off and gotten away from.”
“Sometimes you need to get kicked in the teeth for that fire to reignite on you,” he said.
Of course, since it was a topic of conversation as the playoffs began, the veteran didn’t want to say anything critical of his younger teammate.
“I like Jasson a lot, I don’t want to say anything negative to him or anything about him in that sense,” Verdugo said. “He had his playing time, he was able to showcase himself, gain a little more experience. And sometimes it kicks in right away and sometimes you have growing pains.
Verdugo, who is in his eighth year and preparing to play in his 15th career playoff game, said Dominguez — with 26 regular-season appearances under his belt since his MLB debut in late 2023 — “is going to be a great player, he’s a great player” who handles the situation “like a pro”.
“He is ready to come off the bench, whether it is to appear on goal (Giancarlo Stanton) or get a hit at bat, he’s ready for that moment,” Verdugo said. “It’s just that time will tell.”
