NEW YORK — He went hitless in his first two at-bats. Nobody in the Yankee Stadium crowd was expecting what came next.
Jasson Dominguez put together one of the best individual performances of the early season Sunday. He doubled twice and hit his first homer of 2026 as the Yankees rolled past the Orioles 11-3. What made it special was not just the production. It was how he produced it.
Dominguez hit from both sides of the plate in the same inning. The Yankees had not seen that from any player since Mark Teixeira did it in 2016. For a 23-year-old switch-hitter who has spent years trying to prove he belongs at the big league level, Sunday felt like a long time coming.
A spot in the lineup and a chance to prove it
Dominguez got into the starting lineup at DH because Giancarlo Stanton landed on the injured list with a calf injury. It was the kind of opening he needed.
The Yankees signed Dominguez out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent nearly seven years ago. The talent has never been in question. The consistency has.
He first appeared with the Yankees late in 2023. He has bounced between the majors and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre multiple times since. This season he started back in Scranton again. Cody Bellinger held down left field. Trent Grisham had center. There was simply no room.
Sunday was his fifth game since being recalled. He made it count.
The sixth inning turns the game
With the score tied 3-3 and the Yankees needing a spark, Dominguez led off the sixth inning against Grant Wolfram. He ripped a double down the left-field line. The ball rolled to the warning track past third baseman Weston Wilson.
Dominguez moved to third on a groundout. Then Ryan McMahon hit a grounder to first. Orioles first baseman Coby Mayo could not handle it cleanly. Dominguez scored. The Yankees led 4-3.
One run. One big swing of momentum. The Yankees did not give it back.
Homer from the left, double from the right in the same inning
The eighth inning is where Dominguez left his real mark. With the Yankees already ahead, he came to bat from the left side against reliever Andrew Kittredge.
He drove a two-run homer into the right-field seats. It was his first home run since Aug. 25, 2025, against Washington. That alone would have been a good day.
But Dominguez was not done. Later in the same inning, he came up again. This time he batted right-handed. He doubled. The Yankees had themselves a rare moment. One player. One inning. Both sides of the plate producing.
It was only the second time in Dominguez’s career he recorded a hit from each side of the plate in the same inning. The only other Yankee to do it before him was Teixeira, a decade ago.
Boone on the right-handed swing: ‘That’s his natural side’
The right-handed swing has long been the question mark with Dominguez. He grew up hitting right-handed, but the Yankees have pushed him as a switch-hitter. He has never produced enough from that side at the major league level to make it a non-issue.
Boone was asked directly about what the organization sees when Dominguez hits from the right side. His answer offered a window into why the Yankees believe the upside is real.
“That’s his natural side,” Boone said. “When you see him hit or take BP, you see it’s not an unnatural move.”
Dominguez said he has spent considerable time working on that side of his game. After the win, he spoke about both his performance and the work behind it.
Dominguez called Sunday’s three-hit game “awesome” and added, “I’ve been working for a long time on the right side, so I’m glad it’s showing off.”
He also addressed the adversity of riding the shuttle between the majors and the minors. The Yankees recalled him, sent him down, recalled him again. Not every player handles that well.
“Adversity is always tough, but that’s what I’ve got to do,” Dominguez said. “I’ve got to do my job.”
A performance like Sunday, he said, “definitely helps.”
Where Dominguez fits on a deep Yankees roster
Manager Aaron Boone said before the game that he plans to give Aaron Judge a DH day at some point during the week. Dominguez figures to be the primary option at DH or as a fourth outfielder when those situations arise.
The Yankees recently lost Randal Grichuk from the roster. That opened a spot. Dominguez is filling it for now.
He has been exceptional at Triple-A this season with the bat from the right side. But minor league numbers and big league at-bats are different challenges. Sunday showed he can translate that work upward.
The Yankees carry one of the deepest lineups in the American League. Finding regular playing time for Dominguez remains a puzzle. But he made a strong argument Sunday that he deserves to be in the picture.
Three extra-base hits. A go-ahead run scored. A rare switch-hitting highlight. For one afternoon in the Bronx, Jasson Dominguez looked exactly like what the Yankees always hoped he could become.
How do you see this? Is his power convincing enough?
