New York Yankees fans have been waiting nearly a year for this moment. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is back in the big leagues.
Fans were angered and confused when Dominguez wasn’t initially called up Sept. 1 when rosters expanded. Dominguez had been tearing it up at Triple-A after coming back from Tommy John surgery that ended his brief Yankees stint last year. Over 44 games, Dominguez is hitting .309, with an .848 OPS, seven home runs, 25 RBI, and 33 runs scored.
Fans were hoping Dominguez would immediately come in and replace struggling outfielder Alex Verdugo. That wasn’t the case, though.
“I think he’s playing good baseball right now,” New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman said of Verdugo, via Sports Illustrated. “He’s playing much better than he had been. Just comes down to, is that the best route to go? That’s how we’ve got it set up currently.”
Cashman added that Verdugo gave the Yanks a better chance to win, despite the immense eye rolls. Verdugo has a paltry .235 batting average and .651 OPS, with an OPS+ of only 83 this season. He’s barely a replacement level player as his WAR (wins above replacement) is just 0.9.
Dominguez is finally being called up as the Yanks are pushing for another American League East title (half-game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles) and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Heading into Monday night’s game against Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals, the Yankees are 82-61.
Dominguez is batting sixth tonight and playing centerfield.
Even though he only played eight games after making his debut last September, Dominguez showed off his greatness. During that span, he cranked out four home runs, seven RBI, and six runs scored, with a .980 OPS and 158 OPS+.
Dominguez is MLB.com’s 16th-ranked prospect.