This could be Jasson Dominguez's last chance with the New York Yankees.
It may have been due to an injury, but nevertheless, Jasson Dominguez is getting one last chance with the New York Yankees this season, as the Yankees have promoted the outfielder after placing Trent Grisham on the injured list with a hamstring issue.
This will mark Dominguez's third stint with the big-league club overall in 2026, and the first two did not go very well.
The former top prospect is slashing .230/.270/.380 with six home runs and 14 RBI over 212 plate appearances this season, and while his defense has been better, it still hasn't been good. And while Dominguez had certainly picked it up at Triple-A as of late, he has largely been impressive down in the minor leagues this year.
But now, Dominguez will get a chance to prove his worth once more, and his window of opportunity is very thin. Aaron Judge is slated to return from a rib stress fracture soon, and barring a tremendous showing by Dominguez, he will head back down the second Judge is activated.
That doesn't mean this short stretch isn't important, though.
It wasn't long ago that Dominguez was touted as the next Mickey Mantle in the Yankees' system. That obviously hasn't worked out.
Since making his major-league debut in 2023, the 23-year-old has slashed .243/.311/.392 across 741 trips to the dish. He has been an adventure in the outfield, and the pop everyone expected simply has not been there.
To make matters worse for Dominguez, Spencer Jones has demonstrated obvious staying power, and while he isn't exactly Jim Edmonds, he is far superior to Dominguez defensively.
Dominguez's future in the Bronx is complicated. Judge and Cody Bellinger are locked in as corner outfielders for the long haul. Jones seems likely to take over in center field if and when Grisham departs in free agency this winter, and there is no way in the world the Yankees would want Dominguez in center anyway.
Could Dominguez DH? Maybe, but Giancarlo Stanton is still under contract for next year, and he is a year removed from posting a .944 OPS. New York also acquired Luis Garcia Jr. at the MLB trade deadline, so even if Stanton is no longer on the roster in 2027, you have to figure that Garcia and Ben Rice will alternate as the Yanks' designated hitter.
Plus, Dominguez hasn't really shown enough offensively to warrant a spot as a DH.
The most likely scenario for Dominguez seems to be a trade this offseason. The problem for the Yankees, though, is that Dominguez's value has never been lower.
That's what makes his promotion here toward the end of the campaign all the more important, both to the team and the player.
Dominguez is getting a sudden opportunity to showcase his talents in the middle of a pennant race. If he doesn't take advantage of it, I'm not sure what else the Yankees can do.
