Yankees clear runway for Jasson Dominguez recall with latest roster move
By Lior Lampert
On Friday, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone sounded unsure whether Jasson Dominguez would get promoted when rosters expand on Sept. 1. Roughly 24 hours later, the club cleared the runway for their top-ranked prospect to get the call-up.
New York has optioned catcher/first baseman Ben Rice and right-handed pitcher Will Warren after their 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Veteran infielder Anthony Rizzo will assume one of the two vacated spots. The 35-year-old will reportedly get activated this weekend after a lengthy stint on the injured list. Meanwhile, the other opening could be for Dominguez.
Dominguez has been absolutely raking the ball during his 2024 stint at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He's batting an impressive .301/.355/.448 with four home runs, 17 RBIs and 14 stolen bases across 155 plate appearances.
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Yankees clear runway for Jasson Dominguez recall with latest roster move
Per Boone via Dan Martin of the New York Post, Dominguez is "in consideration" to get elevated to the Yankees' MLB roster.
"[Dominguez's] certainly one of those guys to be in the conversation for that," Boone said.
When called up last September, Dominguez took the majors by storm. He hit four homers in eight games, driving in seven RBIs. Unfortunately, a torn UCL derailed his first taste of big-league action, though the issue is ostensibly a thing of the past.
Even if Dominguez gets promoted, he doesn't project as an everyday player for the Yankees, barring unforeseen circumstances. New York continues to express faith in outfielder Alex Verdugo. The latter has struggled from the batter's box, but Boone believes in the 28-year-old. Regardless, the former would give the Bronx Bombers a respected depth option with upside for more.
Only 21, time is on Dominguez's side. However, his lone appearance on the Yanks' active roster this season suggests exercising patience and managing immediate expectations may be necessary. He went 0-for-4 and struck out thrice. Nevertheless, "The Martian" has a five-tool skill set that'd be a welcome addition to the dugout.