This New York Yankees player could find himself in a surprising role come playoff time.

New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez was viewed by many as a potential breakout player heading into the 2025 MLB season. While he certainly showed flashes early on, he has not really lived up to expectations just yet.

Dominguez has slashed just .257/.332/.390 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI over 425 plate appearances this season and has now been relegated to a bench role thanks to his struggles defensively. Not exactly what the Yankees were hoping for.

In fact, the 22-year-old has only collected 16 plate appearances in September, indicating that New York has soured on him overall. At least for this season.

However, Dominguez could take on a rather interesting role for the playoffs: that of a pinch runner.

One thing no one can deny is that Dominguez has wheels. The youngster has totaled 23 stolen bases on the year while only being caught four times, and he has also shown that he is a pretty smart baserunner on base hits and fly balls.

That definitely has value, and it means Dominguez could fill a role similar to the one that Brett Gardner did in the early stages of his big-league career, replacing slower runners on the basepaths late in games in October.

You could definitely envision a world in which Giancarlo Stanton gets on base in the eighth or ninth inning and Dominguez entering the game to replace him as a pinch runner. Dominguez could then slide into the DH slot if necessary.

Is it what the Yankees were hoping for when it comes to their former top prospect? Probably not, especially considering how much potential Dominguez displayed back in the spring. But at least it's a way for the Dominican native to work his way onto the playoff roster.

It's hard to determine what the future holds for Dominguez in the Bronx. His inability to effectively play the outfield definitely makes things complicated, and if his bat continues to stall, it won't be long before he teeters on bust territory.

But for now, New York is working him along and hoping to get him involved any way it can, even if that means just running the bases.