NEW YORK — On Friday, prime New York Yankees prospect Jasson Domínguez was with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, beginning in left area and batting second.
On Sunday, Main League Baseball energetic rosters will increase from 26 gamers to twenty-eight. That may enable the Yankees to name up Domínguez with no need to kick another person out to make room for him.
Will they do it?
“I don’t know,” supervisor Aaron Boone stated earlier than Friday’s collection opener in opposition to the St. Louis Cardinals at Yankee Stadium. “We’ll see. We haven’t made that call. So, I don’t know.”
However ought to they name up Domínguez? The Athletic’s Yankees beat reporters Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty focus on.
Jasson Domínguez zooms across the bases on his first triple of 2024 in 11.75 seconds! (110.5 mph EV, no much less.)
Solely SS Anthony Volpe has posted a quicker home-to-third amongst gamers nonetheless within the @Yankees org this season.@swbrailriders | @NYYPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/LiIE28HmBo
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 28, 2024
Ought to the Yankees name up Domínguez?
Kirschner: This needs to be an apparent determination given the choices obtainable to the membership. The reply is a convincing sure. He could also be a difference-maker for the Yankees down the stretch and into October.
Left area has been one of many weakest positions for the Yankees this 12 months. Going into Friday, their mixed 84 wRC+ ranked twenty fourth in MLB. Defensively, they had been thirteenth amongst all groups in outs above common in left area. And so they had been final in Statcast’s baserunning above common. The bar can be low for Domínguez to show that he may outperform what the Yankees have already obtained from left fielders this 12 months.
The Yankees will probably be cautious about how a lot Domínguez performs if he’s known as up, as they’ll need to guarantee he retains his rookie standing for 2025. He wants to remain beneath the profession 130 at-bat threshold to be thought-about a rookie subsequent 12 months (Domínguez has 35 profession at-bats). If he wins Rookie of the Yr in 2025, the Yankees would obtain a conditional draft decide on the finish of the primary spherical.
There’s no draw back. They should see if Domínguez can win the on a regular basis left-field job.
Kuty: You make compelling factors, Chris. I’ll play Satan’s Advocate.
Would calling up Domínguez and giving him a month-long audition be thrilling? Completely. May you additionally argue that it might be impractical? Maybe.
There’s no assure Domínguez would arrive within the Bronx and instantly placed on the present he did in his debut final 12 months, hitting 4 dwelling runs with a .980 OPS in eight video games earlier than tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. That was electrical. It could even be asking quite a bit.
Final 12 months, when Domínguez broke into the majors on Sept. 1, the Yankees had been hardly in competition. They had been three video games beneath .500. They had been 17 1/2 video games again within the AL East. The Yankees talked like they had been nonetheless going for it, however a playoff-less October felt like a close to inevitability. There was little strain for Domínguez.
This might be completely different. May he deal with it? He completely may. He’s dealt with all of the hype that got here together with his franchise-record $5.1 million signing bonus at age 16. However there’s no denying it might be quite a bit to placed on the shoulders of the 21-year-old. To not point out our subsequent query …
In the event that they known as him up, what occurs to the roster?
Kirschner: Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone stated if Domínguez had been to be known as up, they’d ideally need him taking part in often to not stunt his growth. That may imply Alex Verdugo would lose his beginning job. It might additionally imply Trent Grisham will get pushed down additional on the depth chart. On the times Aaron Decide began because the group’s designated hitter, Domínguez may begin in middle area.
Perhaps the Yankees wouldn’t need to ruffle the clubhouse by changing Verdugo — whom Decide personally advocated buying and selling for this offseason and in years prior — to start out a rookie. However Verdugo has had practically a season’s value of video games to show he shouldn’t compete with a rookie for his job, and he’s failed.
He’s graded out as a unfavourable offensively, on the bottom paths and public superior defensive metrics are break up on his worth. Is that not sufficient for the group to imagine it could possibly do higher by attempting somebody completely different? And if Domínguez doesn’t work out over the subsequent month, properly, they’ve remained in first place with Verdugo being one in every of MLB’s worst on a regular basis place gamers.
There appears to be a better probability of Domínguez being a extra impactful participant than Verdugo in October.
Kuty: I may see that. You definitely may argue that Domínguez has a better ceiling offensively than Verdugo — even within the quick time period. There’s no sugarcoating it: The 28-year-old has not been what the Yankees anticipated on the plate.
The Satan’s Advocate argument, although, can be that Verdugo has truly appeared like a powerful and, at instances, glorious defensive left fielder. He’s had a couple of memorable gaffes, however he’s additionally somebody I feel makes nearly all of the routine performs, sacrifices his physique and has a heck of an arm. Plus, he’d be far more acquainted with the place than Domínguez when it’s crunch time in October.
If the Yankees had been to advertise Domínguez and bench Verdugo, I feel there can be a non-zero probability the group may designate Trent Grisham for task and have Verdugo take over his position as fourth outfielder.
Understanding that it’s a small pattern, Verdugo has appeared a bit higher on the plate these days. Coming into Friday, he was on a five-game hitting streak (.421 BA, 1.029 OPS), which coincided with when he switched to batting gloves made with supplies that stopped inflicting allergic reactions on his pores and skin. Verdugo struck out in all three of his at-bats Friday evening.
As for the clubhouse, I feel it might deal with the transfer superb. Such as you stated, Verdugo has had loads of time to show himself, and it’s not like they’d be changing him with a no person.
What do we expect occurs?
It’s not a slam dunk that Domínguez would be the selection on Sunday. If the Yankees resolve to make an inner transfer, Domínguez is probably going the candidate.
Nevertheless, the Yankees may go for an exterior candidate. The St. Louis Cardinals designated Tommy Pham for task on Friday. If the Yankees are on the lookout for a platoon accomplice for Verdugo, signing Pham is perhaps a very good transfer. Pham has a .762 OPS this 12 months in opposition to left-handed pitching, whereas Verdugo had a .609 OPS in opposition to lefties getting into Friday. One other exterior choice can be Robbie Grossman, whom the Texas Rangers designated for task on Thursday. Grossman’s OPS in opposition to lefties is .819 OPS this season and .809 for his profession.
All season, the Yankees have lauded Verdugo for his bat-to-ball expertise. In the event that they wished to maintain taking part in him usually, having a platoon accomplice may very well be the easiest way to maximise his manufacturing.
(Picture of Jasson Domínguez: Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)