Yankees sign first baseman only a year after release from Rays Triple-A affiliate

The Yankees have signed first baseman Dominic Smith to a minor league deal to add depth to their organization. Aside from a few successful seasons, Smith has had a rather mundane career, producing a miniscule 1.0 WAR over eight seasons.

In April of 2024, the Rays had a similar idea as they signed the talented infielder to hopefully allow him to earn a backup/DH role. Unfortunately, this never came close to fruition as the former first round pick was released only a month after being assigned to Triple-A Durham. This decision came about through Smith's own choice, as he initiated the opt-out clause in his contract. In fact, Smith was performing well for the Bulls, as he hit .263 with two home runs in only 21 minor league contests.

Despite his performance, the LA native may have felt that his chances of returning to the big leagues through the Rays organization were slim due to the depth at his position. This is an understandable determination with the reigning AL batting champion, Yandy Diaz and Isaac Paredes sharing time at first base.

Dominic Smith was clearly looking for a route back to the major leagues to ideally replicate his best season in 2020. During that shortened season with the New York Mets, Smith slashed .316/.377/.616 with 10 home runs in only 50 games.

If you recall the 2020 campaign (of course, the Rays went to the World Series), the season lasted only 60 games, as opposed to the normal 162 game length, due to the difficulties surrounding the Covid pandemic. Nevertheless, many athletes like Smith thrived in the small sample size of a season. The former Durham Bull finished in the top 10 in home runs and slugging percentage among NL left fielders. Also, former Yankees first baseman, Luke Voit led the MLB that year with 22 home runs and he's only been able to repeat that total one more time since then.

In 2024, Dominic Smith played for the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds after he was released by the Rays organization. He had a respectable season as he was able to appear in 77 games at first base for the Red Sox and hit .237 with six home runs and 34 RBIs. With the Reds, the left-handed hitter received only 26 at-bats, producing a .192 AVG. Although Smith has had a roller coaster of a career, the 29-year old still holds a ton of potential. Let's see if the Yankees can tap into his abilities.