New York Yankees Change Course on Jasson Dominguez

The New York Yankees have changed course on exciting top prospect Jasson Dominguez.

Sep 6, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have made a decision on their exciting top prospect.

On Monday, the Yankees called up outfielder Jasson Dominguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Infielder DJ LeMahieu has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to September 6 with a right hip impingement.

Additionally, versatile infielder Jon Berti has been activated from the 60-day IL and the team designated lefty Anthony Misiewicz for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

The Yankees initially made the unpopular move of calling up speedy outfielder Duke Ellis, as opposed to Dominguez, on September 1 when rosters expanded to 28 players. However, they have now opted to go with Dominguez, who is the organization's No. 1 ranked prospect.

Manager Aaron Boone revealed to reporters that the plan is for Dominguez to "play a lot" now that he is with the big-league team.

Previously, Boone had praised Dominguez's performance in Triple-A, but made it clear that they wanted him to play everyday. This indicated that the Yankees weren't ready to take away playing time from left fielder Alex Verdugo, who has struggled mightily in his first season with the club.

With Aaron Judge serving as the DH in place of Giancarlo Stanton for the Yankees' series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Monday, Dominguez's first start will come in center field and Verdugo remains in left. However, the latter will likely go to the bench once the Yankees deploy their new regular starting lineup.

Dominguez made his major league debut last September and crushed four home runs in his first eight games. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow that required Tommy John surgery. This knocked him out of game action until May of 2024. He then strained his oblique in mid-June which forced him to miss over a month of play.

Regardless, the 21-year-old has still had a strong season in the minors overall. Appearing across three different levels due to a rehab assignment, Dominguez has hit .314 with a .880 OPS, 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 58 games.

The Yankees, who lead the AL East by a half game, are hoping Dominguez can hit the ground running with 19 games left to play.