First baseman Dominic Smith has chosen to opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees after spending the initial two months of the 2025 season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan. The 29-year-old player is now a free agent, transitioning from a stint where he previously played six seasons with the New York Mets and has subsequently had tenures with the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, and Cincinnati Reds across the last three seasons.

After joining the Yankees' spring training camp as a non-roster invitee, Smith ultimately decided to opt out of his initial contract before re-signing on a new minor league deal with the organization on March 31. During the Grapefruit League, at the time of his initial opt-out, Smith recorded an impressive .297 batting average along with three home runs across 13 games. However, the Yankees already boasted a crowded outfield alongside first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and Ben Rice emerged victorious in the competition to fill in for Giancarlo Stanton as designated hitter.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Smith's contributions, stating that the player had met all expectations, highlighting his performance and readiness. As the season commenced, Smith's pursuit of a roster spot may have been affected by the Yankees' surplus of left-handed hitters. Currently, USA Today's Bob Nightengale has reported that the Yankees are actively searching for a right-handed batter. Despite past challenges in maintaining consistent production at the major league level since his time with the Mets, Smith enjoyed considerable success in the minors, slashing .317/.389/.622 in 23 games during May, including seven home runs and 22 RBIs. He now aims to leverage his strong performance in Triple-A to secure a position on another MLB roster.