HOUSTON — Jasson Dominguez named Houston his favorite road city when the Yankees did their spring training picks feature earlier this year. He had a reason for that. On September 1, 2023, he walked into Daikin Park as a 20-year-old and hit a first-inning home run off Justin Verlander in his major league debut. It was the kind of moment that announces a player has arrived.
When the Yankees are in Houston this weekend, Dominguez is in Moosic, Pa., playing for the Triple-A RailRiders. But the gap between Dominguez and the Bronx may be closing faster than anyone expected.
Giancarlo Stanton is dealing with a sore right calf since Friday night and there are serious question marks around it. The Yankees sources suggest a likely move to replace him with the Martian.
Stanton injury opens the door
Stanton left Friday’s 12-4 Yankees win over the Astros in the sixth inning with right lower-leg tightness after gingerly jogging from first to second base. He did not run hard again. Randal Grichuk replaced him immediately. As of Friday night, the Yankees had not scheduled an MRI.
If Stanton lands on the 10-day injured list, the Yankees will need a roster move. Dominguez is the most obvious candidate. He is on the Triple-A Scranton roster and has been producing. He is also 23 years old, healthy, and has a full major-league season already under his belt.
Infielder Amed Rosario, a fellow Dominican who knows Dominguez well, was already thinking about it before first pitch Friday. He offered a quiet but pointed prediction.
“I’m sure it’s not easy for Jasson, but I think we’ll see him at some point here,” Rosario said. “Maybe this weekend.”
The numbers back the call
Dominguez has not wasted his time in Triple-A. Through 22 games with Scranton, he is hitting .306 with three home runs, 13 RBIs, and an .875 OPS. He doubled twice and homered earlier in the week. On Thursday night he delivered an 11th-inning walk-off single to win the game.
He was batting second and playing left field in Scranton’s lineup Friday alongside rehabbing shortstop Anthony Volpe, which gives some sense of how highly the organization regards both players at the moment.
The Yankees have been watching closely. Third base coach and outfield instructor Luis Rojas stays in regular contact with both the Scranton coaching staff and Dominguez directly. He described the conversations as more personal than professional.
“We phone, we text,” Rojas said. “I want to see how he’s doing. I know what he’s doing on the field because I talk to the Triple-A coaches. I don’t need him to tell me what he’s working on. It’s more personal. I want to know how he’s doing. He’d rather be here with us, but his attitude is good.”
Rojas then added some perspective on what Dominguez is going through at 23 years old, and how he has handled a situation that could easily turn sour. “How would I have handled it? Jasson’s been a lot more mature than I would have been at that age.”
Bellinger and Rosario make the calls
Rojas is not the only one keeping in touch. Cody Bellinger reaches out to Dominguez on Instagram. The left fielder whose January re-signing effectively pushed Dominguez back to the minors has nothing but respect for the way the 23-year-old has responded.
Bellinger was asked directly about how Dominguez has handled the demotion. He did not sugarcoat the difficulty, but he praised the character behind the response.
“Going back to the minors after being here all last year, it’s not easy at all,” Bellinger said. “For him to go down and continue to play his best brand of baseball, it’s a testament of who he is. We all knew that’s the type of player he is.”
“I have nothing but positive things to say about Jasson,” Bellinger said. “I love who he is and I love the player he is. He’s very mature. You can only control what you can control, and he does a really good job of that.”
Rosario texted Dominguez about a week ago. He said the conversations stay away from baseball entirely.
“When I talk with Jasson, we’re not talking about baseball. We talk about life. From keeping in touch with him, I think he’s in a good place.”
What he needs to fix before staying
Dominguez hit .257 with 10 homers, 47 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases in 123 games last season. But he batted just .204 from the right side as a switch-hitter, and his outfield defense remained a concern. He has already committed three errors in 22 Triple-A games in 2026.
The Yankees sent him back to Triple-A so he could get daily at-bats rather than sit as a fourth outfielder behind Judge, Grisham, and Bellinger. They also kept Randal Grichuk on the Yankees’ bench as a right-handed bat against lefties.
Manager Aaron Boone has been direct about what he thinks the ceiling looks like. Asked about Dominguez’s character heading into the 2026 season, Boone said:
“I think he’s going to have a long, outstanding career. The way he’s been from January on this year tells you all you need to know about Jasson’s character. He’s handled everything great.”
The phone calls are happening. The texts are being sent. And Stanton’s calf is being evaluated. Dominguez may not have to wait much longer.
What do you think? Should the Yankees call up him now?
