In late April, the New York Yankees recalled Jasson Dominguez from Triple-A for his 2026 debut, but his stay in the major leagues was very short-lived.
In his ninth game, Dominguez ran into the left-field wall while making a catch, resulting in an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. He was placed on the injured list and has recently been rehabbing.
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Dominguez has made impressive progress in his recovery and is expected to face live pitching the first week of June, which could fast track his return to the bigs.
But would it really be wise for the Yankees to promote Dominguez again?
Dominguez struggled in limited action with New York‘s major-league club this season, slashing .200/.250/.367 over 32 plate appearances. He also continued struggling defensively, and if we’re being honest, he probably wouldn’t have gotten injured had he simply played that fly ball correctly.
Right now, the Yankees’ outfield consists of Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge. Jose Caballero and Max Schuemann occasionally fill in, and let’s also remember that New York recalled Spencer Jones after Dominguez went down, too (although the Yanks sent Jones back to the minors fairly quickly).
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There really is no room for Dominguez to get regular at-bats, especially with Anthony Volpe‘s return potentially pushing Caballero into more of a super-utility role. Let’s also remember that Giancarlo Stanton is on the mend, too, and had it not been for Stanton getting sidelined, Dominguez probably never would have come up in the first place.
New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez. Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.
The best solution for both the Yankees and Dominguez is to allow him to get daily work in Triple-A, where he had been slashing .326/.415/.478 with three home runs and 15 RBI prior to his call up.
New York is trying to contend for a World Series. Its primary goal at the moment should not be trying to find Dominguez playing time at The Show when he really doesn’t deserve it. At least not over the players the Yankees are currently fielding.
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Yes, Dominguez is a former top prospect, and the hoopla surrounding him has been palpable since he was a teenager. But the Dominguez hype train has certainly slowed down over the last couple of years as the 23-year-old has showed some pretty serious warts in his game.
Dominguez will probably never be the superstar many anticipated, and while that absolutely does not mean he can’t develop into a good role player, it does mean that New York can’t force anything with the Dominican native.
The Yankees’ bench is already crowded as it is right now, and it’s going to get even more complicated once Stanton returns.
The best move for New York would be to send Dominguez back to Triple-A once he’s healthy. That way, he will get regular at-bats and be able to hone his craft.
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That probably isn’t going to be the favorite solution for many Yankees fans, but it’s undoubtedly the best one.
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