TAMPA, Fla. — Jasson Dominguez did everything the Yankees asked of him this spring. He hit the ball hard, ran the bases well and showed he could hold his own in center field. None of it was enough to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.
The 23-year-old switch hitter slashed .347 with a 1.062 OPS this spring. He also posted four home runs, including one in final spring game, 11 RBIs, and a 152 wRC+ in another Yankees spring stat line. Manager Aaron Boone even floated the idea of giving him reps in center field, a new wrinkle in his profile.
Yet none of the numbers or versatility changed the math. The Yankees optioned Dominguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last Friday, a move that had been expected since the start of camp. Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Giancarlo Stanton occupy every available outfield and DH spot on the roster.
Boone calls it a tough decision
The Yankees re-signed Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million deal in January and brought Grisham back on a $22 million qualifying offer. Those commitments locked the outfield. Dominguez, despite one of the best offensive springs in camp, was left without a chair when the music stopped.
“One of the things I appreciate about Jasson is how consistent a person he is,” Boone said. “He’s the same all the time. He has a good way about him. I’m not surprised, but I also think he continues to be a better pro.”
Yankees manager Boone called the decision to demote Dominguez a difficult one. He noted the Yankees want the young outfielder playing every day to continue developing, something that would not have been possible in a reserve role in the Bronx.
“You want him playing regularly,” Boone said, “and that’s ultimately what it comes down to.”
Francesa: Yankees should have traded Dominguez already
While Dominguez was packing for Scranton, longtime New York sports radio host Mike Francesa delivered a blistering assessment of the outfielder’s future. Speaking on his YouTube show Tuesday, Francesa argued that the Yankees have mishandled Dominguez’s development and missed the window to maximize his trade value.
“I don’t think he’s destined for greatness,” Francesa said. “I see too many holes. Holes defensively, holes from the right side. Yes, he has power and speed. We know that.”
Francesa also identified a broader Yankees roster construction problem that extends beyond Dominguez. The Yankees, he said, have too many players best suited for the designated hitter role and no clean way to sort it out.
“The Yankees have too many DH’s. Stanton obviously is an ultimate DH. … That’s all he can do,” Francesa said. “Dominguez in my mind, even at this young age, is a DH. He’s not a good fielder. Rice is a DH. He’s a bat. He’s a good bat. He doesn’t have a position.”
The numbers back up at least part of the critique. Dominguez posted a minus-9 Outs Above Average in the outfield last season, ranking in the third percentile among qualified outfielders. His struggles from the right side of the plate were equally alarming. He batted just .186 against left-handed pitching over his big league career, managing only one home run and nine RBI in 118 at-bats from that side.
For Francesa, those weaknesses add up to a missed opportunity.
“And listen, have the Yankees handled that right? The buildup on him was such that if they weren’t going to get him into the starting lineup by now, they probably should have put him in a package and traded him for something really good,” Francesa explained. “That probably should have happened.”
Dominguez keeps his focus on the field
For his part, Dominguez has handled the Yankees demotion with maturity. He participated in winter ball after the Yankees’ playoff exit last fall, working specifically on his defense and right-handed swing. He reported to camp in mid-January and showed real growth in both areas.
“Coming into camp, I feel pretty good,” Dominguez said earlier this spring. “I feel like I’ve improved in my defense and my righty side, too.”
The reality is that Dominguez will almost certainly be the first player the Yankees call when an injury opens a roster spot. Yankees designated hitter Stanton has missed at least 40 games in each of the last four seasons. If that pattern holds, a lane could open as early as April or May.
General manager Brian Cashman hinted at that possibility before spring training began.
“Sometimes, those decisions get made for us,” Cashman said.
The Yankees’ outfield problem is not going away
Francesa’s critique taps into a broader frustration among Yankees fans. Dominguez was once the crown jewel of the farm system, a player who signed for a franchise-record $5.1 million international bonus in 2019 and earned the nickname “The Martian” for his freakish tools. He homered off Justin Verlander in his first career at-bat in 2023 and looked like a future star before Tommy John surgery derailed his momentum.
Now, heading into his age-23 season, the question is whether the Yankees will ever find consistent at-bats for him or if Francesa is right that the trade window has already closed.
With Bellinger locked up for five years and Grisham holding down center field on his qualifying offer, the Yankees outfield picture will not change much before the July trade deadline. Dominguez will be in Scranton waiting for the phone to ring. How he handles the wait could determine whether his future is in pinstripes or somewhere else entirely.
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