The New York Yankees need depth in their lineup behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. This has largely been the case for most of the 2024 season, though it has been especially magnified during the second half as they continue to duke it out with the Baltimore Orioles for the top spot in the American League East.
Top prospect Jasson Dominguez would provide exactly what the Yankees are missing. The 21-year-old is healthy after suffering an oblique injury while finishing off the final lengths of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last year after hitting four home runs with seven RBI in his eight-game major-league debut last season.
Since Aug. 7, down in Triple-A, he has slashed .321/.388/.505 (.893 OPS) with five home runs and 17 RBI in 27 games.
Meanwhile, during that same span, Yankees’ starting left fielder Alex Verdugo is hitting .235 with a .589 OPS, one home run, and six RBI.
Yet Yankees general manager Brian Cashman refuses to call up the young slugger, instead calling upon Duke Ellis when the rosters expanded in September and then swapping him out for veteran Jon Berti, who has missed most of the season due to injury.
When asked why Dominguez has not been called up, Cashman said there was “no lane” for him to get regular playing time — a mystifying notion considering he would be an upgrade over Verdugo, even if the veteran has the edge defensively.
He even went as far as to say that Verdugo gave the Yankees their best chance to win.
With that best chance to win in the lineup, the Bronx Bombers entered Monday night’s series opener against the Kansas City Royals having lost seven of their last 11 games. In three games against the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, they scored just six runs combined.
It would be pure speculation to suggest that Cashman is going with Verdugo because he is his guy. The 28-year-old was acquired from the Red Sox for three pitchers in December — the second-largest move made by the Yankees during the winter only behind the blockbuster trade for Soto.
A more likely reason why Dominguez has not seen the majors yet in September is because of his rookie status. With 35 career at-bats, he loses his rookie designation if he exceeds 130 by season’s end. Ensuring that the Yankees keep him under team control for an extra season — also known as service-time manipulation — he also remains eligible to win the Rookie of the Year in 2025.
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, however, debunked this by explaining the only service-time benefit of keeping Dominguez in the minors longer is “keeping out of the Super Two designation, which allows a select group of players to become eligible for a fourth year of arbitration.”
For now, the baseball world outside of the Yankees organization will continue to scratch its collective head as to why a clear upgrade in the thick of a pennant race has not been promoted yet. But questions about management’s commitment to ending a 15-year World Series drought should only be raised because of it.
For more on the Yankees and Jasson Dominguez, visit AMNY.com
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