Yankees Predicted to Add Record-Setting OF to Replace Alex Verdugo

Getty Yankees OF Alex Verdugo

The Yankees have been patient with outfielder Alex Verdugo, and if there is a gleam of light, it’s that he again had a big day against his old team, knocking two hits in Friday’s loss to Boston. But it’s likely too little, too late, not with the way Verdugo has suffered a seemingly intractable slump going back to mid-June, and not with the Yankees’ top prospect waiting in the wings.

That’s the thrust from New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman, who writes that not only will Verdugo lose his spot in the Yankees’ outfield, but he will do so soon thanks to the rise of prospect Jasson Dominguez, who has been crushing Triple A pitching at Scranton-Wilkes Barre, with a slash line of .375/.405/.600.

Here’s what Heyman wrote about Dominguez, known as “The Martian”: “The Martian could land in a week or maybe two. Jasson Dominguez may be an strange savior since he has a very limited track record and a bad recent injury history. But the potential is enormous, via everyone. Though he’s only batted 31 times in the majors, he’s hit four home runs.

“Dominguez was activated Friday by Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre and needs to join the Yankees as a full-time player as soon as possible.”

Yankees’ Alex Verdugo Mired in Massive Slump

Despite the two hits on Friday, Verdugo is now batting .231 with an OPS of .655, the worst numbers of his career. He was hitting .266 with nine home runs back on June 14, when he went 3-for-5 with a homer against the Red Sox. At that point, the Yankees were 50-22.

Since then, he has hit an abysmal .160, with an OPS of .445. He has hit only one home run in the 33 games in that span, also against Boston. (Even slumping, he really likes sticking it to his old team.) The Yankees have gone 10-23.

Verdugo was dropped in the lineup from fourth to sixth, but the move did not help. He batted leadoff on Friday.

“I’m kind of getting tested right now,’’ Verdugo said, via the Post. “It hasn’t been the funnest. It’s been a little bit of a struggle, but that’s what this game is.”

Jasson Dominguez Has Been Slowed by Injuries

Dominguez might have earlier been back in New York, but his return to the Yankees after a stint in 2023 has been slowed by injuries. He needed Tommy John surgery late last season and worked his way back in the spring, before an oblique injury set him out again. Dominguez returned to action on Friday and had a hit and an RBI for Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

Manager Aaron Boone said this week that Dominguez will be an option for the Yankees as they move forward. “When the need arises, he’s in play,” Boone said.

With the way Verdugo has played, the need appears to have arisen.

Dominguez is the top prospect in the Yankees system. The team has been grooming Dominguez for five years now, after having signed him as a 16-year-old in 2019, when the team used a record $5.1 million of its bonus money (out of $5.4 million) to land Dominguez, a record payout.