Jasson Dominguez, the New York Yankees prized prospect, saw his last 10 months get washed due to multiple injury setbacks. After a thrilling debut, he tore his elbow UCL that required Tommy John surgery. And after 8 months long rehab, he strained his oblique and was expected to miss eight weeks long action.
However, last week, Aaron Boone announced that Jasson Dominguez had been activated from IL and optioned to Triple-A as he recovered in just five weeks. That being said, both Boone and the general manager were noncommittal on The Martian’s potential return to the majors. While health is definitely a factor, here are three other reasons that are equally responsible for his stay in the minor league.
1. Yankees Wants To Preserve His Rookie Status
Interestingly, Jasson Dominguez’s major league debut lasted only 7 games as he tore his elbow UCL in September 2023. He made a total of 31 plate appearances, which means that Jasson is still a rookie. The Martian can play center field regularly next year as Alex Verdugo will be entering free agency and can win the AL Rookie of the Year award, thus availing a Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) draft pick to the Yankees.
A prospect is eligible for PPI status if he appears in at least two of three Top 100 rankings released by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and ESPN. And Jasson Dominguez managed to earn a spot in all the magazines. Hence, to preserve the kid’s rookie status, the New York Yankees will be required to keep him off the major league for the rest of the year. Its because once he cross 130 plate appearances, Jasson will lose his rookie status.
2. Yankees Don’t Need Dominguez To Win Games
The New York Yankees are tied to the Baltimore Orioles for the top spot in the AL-East division. Hence, the active roster is still very much capable of securing the playoff spot, especially after the addition of Jazz Chisholm Jr. Moreover, the two players Jasson could replace aren’t playing that poorly.
Alex Verdugo is inconsistent, yet created an impact in recent road series. He went 10-for-25 with four doubles last week. On the other hand, Giancarlo Stanton was activated from IL following a hamstring injury layoff. He slammed a 120 mph single on Wednesday and has struck out only once in 10 at-bats. He also owned .245 with 18 home runs before the injury layoff.
3. Jasson Dominguez Might End Up On The Bench
With the outfield depth full at the moment, even if Jasson Dominguez is promoted to major league now, he will end up spending a lot of time on the bench. Alex Verdugo, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are everyday starters at the moment with Trent Grisham placed as fourth outfielder.
Hence, instead of warming the bench in the major league, Jasson Dominguez can use that time to refine his skills in the minor league. He has dealt with a couple of injuries in the past year. Therefore, playing majors right now might not be the wisest choice. Of course, once the roster expands on September 1, Dominguez will be the first one to make their way to the Bronx.
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