The New York Yankees may have just sealed Jasson Dominguez's fate with the organization.
The New York Yankees gave Jasson Dominguez every chance in the world to win the starting left field job last season. He didn't capitalize.
Instead, Dominguez struggled mightily in the field, labored at the plate after May and ended up getting benched down the stretch.
And now, the Yankees just signed Randal Grichuk to be their fourth outfielder, essentially sealing Dominguez's fate for the start of 2026.
Just about everyone assumed that Dominguez would begin the season in the minor leagues, but with Spencer Jones crushing a pair of home runs on Thursday and flashing tantalizing ability throughout Spring Training in general, you have to wonder if Dominguez is done in the Bronx in general.
At some point, New York will have to trade one of Dominguez or Jones. Cody Bellinger is locked up on a long-term deal, and Aaron Judge certainly isn't going anywhere. Trent Grisham's outfield slot is the only one that could be available on short notice, and right now, it appears that Jones has the edge.
It's looking more and more like Dominguez will end up getting dealt at some point in the relatively near future, potentially as soon as the trade deadline.
New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez. Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images.The Yankees won't directly say it, but you can glean that they are definitely disappointed with Dominguez's progression. Brian Cashman indicated that when he said he felt there was "some upside" with the 23-year-old.
Some upside? For a player who was once compared to Mickey Mantle?
Meanwhile, Jones seems to be a five-tool player. Not only does have prodigious power, but he gets on base, he is fantastic in the field, he has a great arm and he possesses tremendous speed, which is wild for a player who is 6-foot-7, 240 pounds.
Jones absolutely is the more unique talent, and with the former first-round pick having the ability to cover incredible ground in center field, it seems like the Yankees' choice has already been made for them.
Perhaps Dominguez will have a strong showing in Triple-A and make New York think twice about moving him. But at some point, the Yanks are going to have to decide between Dominguez and Jones, and you can kind of already sense which way they are leaning.
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