LAKELAND, Fla. — Dom Smith’s strong camp has led to him opting out of his Yankees contract.
The left-handed hitting first baseman/left fielder/DH was scratched from the lineup Friday as he triggered the opt-out in his contract, a source confirmed.
Clubs typically have 24-48 hours to add a player to the roster once he opts out, though it appears unlikely that Smith will make the team with the Yankees more in need of a right-handed hitter.
As of Friday, Smith was batting .297 with an .857 OPS through 37 at-bats this spring while playing on a minor league deal.
But the Yankees are already flush with left-handed hitters, making it difficult to add the ex-Met to their bench despite what manager Aaron Boone called a “really good” spring.
“He came in and has done everything he’s needed to do,” Boone said Friday before the Yankees played the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. “Clearly he’s a big league player. He’s been great in the room, he’s performed, feel like he’s in really good shape. So we’ll see what happens.”
Boone said he was not surprised by Smith opting out because “procedurally, regardless, that’s going to happen.”
Yankees infielder Dominic Smith pointing as he jogs in from the field.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Giancarlo Stanton’s elbow injuries gave Smith an outside shot to make the team, but fellow left-handed hitter Ben Rice has emerged as the likely candidate to get the majority of at-bats at DH to start the year.
And the Yankees will likely have two more lefties, J.C. Escarra and Trent Grisham, on their bench, which does not help Smith’s cause.
Yankees’ Dominic Smith jogs around the bases after hitting a solo home run off of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Tink Hence.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The other two bench spots could be filled by the right-handed hitting Oswald Peraza, who is out of minor league options, and non-roster invitee Pablo Reyes, a utilityman who has become a favorite of Boone’s.
It’s possible that Smith could end up staying with the Yankees at Triple-A, but there may be other teams in need of a left-handed bat on their bench.
“We’ll see what comes of it as the time goes off the clock,” Boone said. “That’ll be front office, agents, things like that. We’ll see.”
