Getty Yankees top prospect Jasson Dominguez
Far be it from Yankees fans, who already have an abundance of top-tier outfield hitters on hand, to get greedy. But as Jasson Dominguez, the top prospect in the Yankees system, continues to impress in the minors as he comes back from last year’s Tommy John surgery, there is some impatience when it comes to his future.
Dominguez hit .385 in four games as Single A Tampa, then moved up to Double A Somerset, and hit .316 with four homers in 10 games there. Now, he is up to Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and he appears to only be getting better—he is hitting .500 with two homers in five games. He’s still only 21, but appears ready for the Bronx.
Not so fast. As Brian Hoch of Yankees.com reports in his most recent mailbag, the Yankees are not going to bring up Dominguez just to bring him up, not when he’d only sit behind the trio of Alex Verdugo, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
“The Yankees still plan to pump the brakes and keep their top prospect in the Minors. Why? They do not see a path for Domínguez to get regular playing time, at least not if Soto, Aaron Judge, Alex Verdugo and (DH) Giancarlo Stanton are all healthy and active,” Hoch wrote.
Yankees Focusing on Development in the Minors
Still, the return to health for Dominguez has been one of the better stories for the Yankees this year. Assuming he continues to hit the way has in the past month, he is certain to get a call-up later in the year, and could be an option in case there is a long-term injury.
But manager Aaron Boone told reporters that the important thing is for Dominguez to get at-bats and play, even if it is in the minor leagues.
“[Dominguez] is playing well and in a good spot,” Boone said, per Hoch. “We certainly know what he’s capable of. When it’s his time, we’ll be excited for that because we know what kind of impact he can have. We’re not going to rush that, either. It will be when it’s right.”
The Yankees have 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.
Jasson Dominguez a ‘High-Upside Hitter’
Dominguez—known was El Marciano, or The Martian—did appear with the Yankees during last year’s injury-ravaged season, when he hit .258 with four homers in eight games in September before suffering the elbow injury.
He remains the top prospect in the Yankees system and is rated No. 8 overall by Baseball America. The Athletic rates him 13th, and the site’s Keith Law wrote of him:
“Domínguez is back … and so far he looks like the same electric, high-upside hitter he was when he reached the majors last year, well ahead of schedule. The Yankees aren’t in the same offensive straits right now that they were in last year, though, so they can afford to take it easy on him, and perhaps option him to Triple A once the rehab assignment ends.”