THE Yankees are recruiting a veteran Dominique Smith to a minor league deal, according to multiple sources.
Smith, 29, spent last season with the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds organizations, appearing in 93 big league games for both clubs.
While he began his career spending time in the outfield, Smith has made his home at first base in recent seasons. His last 231 starts have come over the past three seasons and have yielded decent results early on. Smith was in the 76th percentile for strikeouts above average in 2024 and in the 68th percentile in 2023.
The Yankees veteran added Paul Goldschmidt play first base after leaving Anthony Rizzo leaving with the expiration of his two-year contract with the ball club. In the event of injury to the former Cardinal, Ben Rice is also capable of playing first, with DJ LeMahieuwhich could be the answer to the third goal, and Cody Bellingerwhich will likely be used exclusively in the outfield.
In 307 plate appearances last year, the former Met had 64 hits (.233 average) with 22 doubles and six home runs (.378 slugging) with 34 RBIs. He struck out 76 times on just 28 walks and posted a .691 OPS (91 OPS+ and 93 wRC+).
Smith broke into the majors at the age of 22 with the Dishes in 2017 and appeared in 447 games over six seasons in Queens, posting a .773 OPS. He had his best year during the pandemic-shortened 2020, when he hit 10 homers and 42 RBIs in 50 games with a .316 average and .993 OPS, which saw him finishing 13th in voting for National League MVP.
