An offense that’s struggling beyond imagination – the New York Yankees, marred by injuries, facing to compete in a powerful and stacked American League East, despite a massive payroll. One injury after another, and finally walks in Jasson Dominguez, the Martian. First at-bat, against arch-AL rivals Houston Astros, facing Justin Verlander, and the 20-year-old Dominican boy writes his name down in history, as the youngest player to hit a home run on his debut.
But it didn’t end there. The Yankees seemed rejuvenated for the next 8 games, out of which Jasson Dominguez smashed four home runs and batted in seven runs at .258. But telling the horror story of the Yankees’ 2023 season, on September 10th, mere 10 days after making his debut, Jasson Dominguez was placed on the IL.
To the collective misery of the entire Yankees fanbase, the switch-hitting outfielder was diagnosed with a UCL tear, bringing an end to a short but high-producing 2023 season.
Entering the offseason, the Yankees faced two major issues: a perpetually dozing offense and an incomplete outfield. After being at the receiving end of considerable and somewhat fair criticism throughout the 2023 season, Brian Cashman responded impressively, assembling a very stacked outfield.
While the center of a super-successful offseason was the Juan Soto trade, Brian Cashman didn’t stop just there. He also managed to include Trent Grisham in the Soto deal followed by the underrated acquisition of Alex Verdugo—especially sweet for Yankees fans since he came from the Boston Red Sox. For me, the fact that Verdugo was part of the Mookie Betts trade which has seemingly benefited every team except the Red Sox added an extra layer of satisfaction. These additions entered a lineup that includes Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Jahmai Jones.
Most importantly, the trio of regular starting outfielders—Judge, Soto, and Verdugo—have been producing exceptionally well, which gives the team a major luxury of bench options.
How will Jasson Dominguez fit into the Yankees' outfield plans when he is 100% ready to go?#MLBCentral | #RepBX | @jonmorosi pic.twitter.com/WxKpswqUxy
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 29, 2024
Insider Jon Morosi spoke about why it doesn’t make sense for the Yankees to call up Jasson Dominguez to have him play sporadically. With Giancarlo Stanton firmly occupying the DH spot, there isn’t a clear opening for Dominguez to play regularly in the big leagues. Morosi believed Dominguez would benefit a lot more playing regularly in the minors, where he can get in at-bats and step in the event of an injury. The Yankees, with a 37-19 record, have the luxury to afford this big-picture approach.
As Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch also mentioned, “The Yankees have made it clear that they have no intention of rushing the 21-year-old back to The Show, and with a crowded outfield in the Bronx, Domínguez could be ticketed for several more weeks of riding buses in the high Minors.”
Jasson Dominguez returned to playing on May 14th. Last night, the Martian smashed his second home run in the last three games, a very positive sign on his way back to full fitness.
Jasson Dominguez homers again! He’s got two home runs in his last three rehab games pic.twitter.com/aioQQRo6Xo
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 28, 2024
Jasson Dominguez’s brief stint in the majors in 2023 gave everyone a glimpse of what he can do in the big leagues and about the type of player he might become. While his promotion to the big leagues in 2024 might take some time, one thing is clear: once Dominguez is called up for good, he’s expected to stay and dominate.
