Veteran 1B/OF Dominic Smith is opting out of his contract with the Yankees and will become a free agent, according to multiple reports.
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported earlier Friday that if the Yankees did not add Smith to the 40-man roster by the end of the day, he would have 24 hours to opt out of the deal.
Smith, 29, has had a solid spring training with New York, hitting .297 with three home runs and 12 RBI over 37 at-bats. He was a non-roster invitee.
“He came in and has done everything he has needed to do," manager Aaron Boone told the media including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch on Friday. "Clearly, he’s a big league player. He’s been great in the room. He’s performed. I feel like he’s in really good shape. So we’ll see what happens.”
The Yankees still have 24 hours to add Smith to the roster, but with so many left-handed bats expected to break camp, there may not be room for the veteran.
Smith played 93 games in the big leagues during the 2024 season, spending most of his time with the Boston Red Sox (84 games) before joining the Cincinnati Reds (nine games). Smith owned a .233/.313/.378 slash line in 2024 with six home runs, 22 doubles, and 34 RBI.
Smith was drafted with the No. 11 pick in the 2013 MLB Draft out of high school by the Mets and spent the first six seasons of his career in Queens from 2017 through 2022, hitting 46 homers over 446 games. He then played 153 games for the Washington Nationals in 2023.
With Smith opting out, it appears that former top prospect INF Oswald Peraza will make the Opening Day roster as he had no options left.