After dragging their feet over the second half of the season the New York Yankees finally called up top prospect Jasson Dominguez on Monday for the opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Dominguez batted sixth in the lineup and played center field in Monday’s 10-4 win over the Royals and hit seventh while playing in left for the Yankees 5-0 loss on Tuesday.
After just two games, New York manager Aaron Boone opted to sit Dominguez for Wednesday’s contest. The decision came down to the pitching matchup. “[Royals starter Cole] Ragans is a guy that’s really tough on righties as a left-handed pitcher. I kind of wanted my lefties in there today, but being that Domínguez’s better side is the left side, so you consider a guy that’s really tough on righties and I want to keep Dugie playing. I kind of wanted a left-handed presence in the lineup today knowing I was going to give Wells a day today. It was just that,” Boone explained via The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
Dominguez is a switch hitter but his splits indicate he fares far better against right-handed pitchers. It’s obviously a small sample size but Dominguez is slashing .267/.313/.700 in 30 career major league at bats against righties compared to .083/.083/.083 in 12 at bats against left-handed hurlers.
Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez will sit Wednesday vs. lefty pitcher
Sep 3, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) hits a home run during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The 21-year-old outfielder is the Yankees top prospect, per MLB.com. He’s ranked 14th overall in the minors. Injuries have played a role in the phenom’s prolonged stay in the farm system. Last season Dominquez got called up by the Yankees and was playing well before tearing his UCL and undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. This season “the Martian” dealt with an oblique strain that cost him significant time.
Still, the Yankees aren’t getting as much offensive production from left field as they’d like and Dominquez is certainly capable of contributing. In 352 minor league games, New York’s top prospect has 62 doubles, 47 home runs, 189 RBI, 255 runs scored and an .817 OPS.
The Yankees appeared content to stick with Alex Verdugo in left and keep Dominguez with the team’s Triple-A affiliate. This decision upset fans who were hoping to see the talented Dominguez join Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the Yankees outfield.
Verdugo has disappointed in his debut season in New York. The eight-year veteran has 12 home runs, 58 RBI and 69 runs scored with a .659 OPS and an OPS+ of 85 in 138 games for the Yankees this season. While it’s not his fault that the team had been holding back its most exciting young prospect in favor of Verdugo’s middling play, fans have taken the opportunity to ride the former Red Sox’s player after every failure.
Since being called up September 9, Dominguez has gone just 1-7 with no extra-base hits, no RBI and one run scored. He’ll sit for the series finale against the Royals on Wednesday and have an opportunity to regroup before showing what he’s capable of in the September stretch run.
