Three years ago, Jasson Dom\u00ednguez was one of the most promising position player prospects in baseball. The 2023 campaign saw the man known as \u201cthe Martian\u201d demolish Double-A, Triple-A, and MLB pitching, the last two in small samples following a pair of quick promotions as the Yankees\u2019 depth depleted due to injury. Since then, however, he has been unable to truly establish himself in The Show both offensively and defensively.<\/p>\n
In 2026, Dom\u00ednguez took another step back. In 222 plate appearances, the 23-year-old outfielder slashed .225\/.267\/.368 with six homers, eight stolen bases, and a 76 wRC+. He wasn\u2019t exactly a menace the year prior and his glove was rough, but the switch-hitter had at least produced against righties enough to be a league-average bat (99 wRC+). Dom\u00ednguez was worth -0.2 fWAR in 2026 and now has 0.5 in 206 career MLB games.<\/p>\n
Injuries were a factor, particularly that low-grade AC joint sprain he suffered back in May that sent him to the list, but the reality is that even after getting healthy, Dom\u00ednguez didn\u2019t impress nearly enough to give the Yankees a reason to stick with him as their overall offense sagged. Eventually, the Bombers acquired Heliot Ramos and promoted Spencer Jones, making Dom\u00ednguez expendable on the active roster. He went to the minors and appeared in just four MLB games post-Trade Deadline.<\/p>\n
This all leads to the question: should the Yankees keep Dom\u00ednguez around for 2027? Has he done enough to keep getting chances? It all comes down to New York\u2019s winter activity and his one minor-league option. That\u2019s probably enough to keep him around as organizational depth, with at least a modicum of breakout appeal, but there are several avenues the team can opt to take with the former top prospect.<\/p>\n
The Yankees will enter the 2027 campaign with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Jones, and Ramos in the outfield, plus Dom\u00ednguez and Jos\u00e9 Caballero, who can also play there if needed (Giancarlo Stanton is purely a DH if he returns). A new outfielder via free agency or trade can\u2019t be ruled out, either. That\u2019s a lot of people for just a handful of spots, and for the sake of his development, the Martian should be playing every day.<\/p>\n
If Dom\u00ednguez isn\u2019t traded in the offseason, he will likely start the year in Triple-A unless he wins a spot in spring training (or \u201csummer\u201d training, whenever it takes place due to the looming lockout). It\u2019s probably a less likely scenario at this point, but it\u2019s certainly plausible, especially if any injuries pop up ahead of him.<\/p>\n
Trading Dom\u00ednguez when his value is this low might not be ideal\u2014they\u2019re not going to trade him just to trade him\u2014but again, it will all depend on the proposed return and if he\u2019s fitting in as the lead piece in a deal or part of a larger package. Gauging his current value against what he could offer down the road is tricky because just as he has bounce-back potential, he could also crash out even more and become older and worse.<\/p>\n
Probably thanks to that remaining minor-league option, Dom\u00ednguez will remain with the Yankees if they don\u2019t find a trade scenario that feels appropriate. However, his time with the organization is reaching a turning point as he enters a key offseason in his development. He\u2019s currently playing Dominican winter ball in LIDOM<\/a>, but things might get messy if\/when the Yanks can\u2019t communicate with him to track his training and offseason routine because of the lockout.<\/p>\n Lockout or not, Dom\u00ednguez needs to take a step forward in the plate discipline department after posting an awful 4.5-percent walk rate in 2026. That\u2019s where it all should start. A quick look at his Savant page, however, tells us that the raw tools are there for Dom\u00ednguez to be better than he has been to this point:<\/p>\n
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