CHICAGO — For Brian Cashman, the decision sounded simple.
The Yankees plan to stick with Alex Verdugo in left field with Jason Dominguez backed up at Triple-A.
“It all comes down to what's best to win games,” Cashman said Friday at Wrigley Field. “That's it.”
And for the Yankees, that means Verdugo.
“I think he's playing well right now,” Cashman said. “A lot better than he's been playing in the past. The question is, is that the best way to go? That's the setup we have right now.”
Cashman said Verdugo's experience won't factor into his decision, as opposed to throwing a rookie into the middle of playoff contention.
Verdugo had one of the worst batting averages in the major leagues from mid-June to mid-August, but has recently started to improve.
As of Friday, he was 14-for-41 (.341) with a .796 OPS over his last 11 games.
Verdugo has primarily played left field and has been a strong defender, but Cashman said he thinks Dominguez, a center fielder by trade, is also a good defender.
Cashman said Dominguez, who is out this year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and an oblique strain, remains a candidate.
But the GM reiterated that if the Yankees were to promote their top prospect, he would need to play every day.
“Jason is doing everything he needs to do right now and Verdugo's been playing well lately,” Cashman said. “The evaluations that we're doing with our on-field staff, our player development staff, our front office staff, are what's going to give us the best opportunity to win. For now, we're going to stay with where we are.”
“But we're always in a position to change our mind at some point.”
