Alexander Wilson
The New York Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Wednesday afternoon, and honestly, the score was the least concerning part of the day. Jasson Dominguez took a pitch off his left elbow in the game and exited early, and according to Chris Kirschner, x-rays came back inconclusive, meaning more testing is needed to determine exactly what’s going on in there. He’s dealing with swelling in the area, and a fracture hasn’t been ruled out yet. Not good.
Dominguez was just called up to help fill the void left by Giancarlo Stanton’s calf strain, and now the Yankees might be staring down two outfield absences at the same time. If the news comes back bad, this is the exact situation where organizational depth either saves you or exposes you. Fortunately, the Yankees have been building that depth for exactly this kind of moment.
Spencer Jones Is on Deck
If Dominguez misses time, Spencer Jones is the most logical next call. Through 26 games in Triple-A this season, Jones is hitting .242/.364/.538 with seven homers, 30 RBIs, and a 134 wRC+. He’s been 34% better than the average Triple-A hitter, and the power production is legitimate. Seven homers in 26 games with a .538 slugging percentage is exactly what you want to see from a 24-year-old who was drafted for his raw tools.
The strikeout rate is still sitting at 33.6%, which is going to be the conversation every time Jones gets mentioned as a call-up candidate. He swings and misses a lot. That’s been true his entire career and it’s not going away overnight. But the Yankees know that a player who can slug .538 and walk at an above-average rate in Triple-A is going to hit home runs at the major league level, and Yankee Stadium’s short right porch is a perfect fit for a left-handed hitter with the pull-side power Jones brings.
He’s been waiting patiently for his shot, and this might be the opening he needed.
The Bigger Picture
The Yankees are already navigating Stanton’s IL stint and now potentially Dominguez missing time too. It’s early enough in the season that none of this is disqualifying, but the outfield depth is going to be tested in a way they didn’t anticipate when April started. Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger anchor the group, and Aaron Judge is in right field. The fourth and fifth outfield spots are where the roster gets thin in a hurry if multiple players go down.
Jones provides a real option rather than a stopgap, and if he gets the call and makes good on it, the Yankees will have a genuine problem to solve when everyone is healthy. That’s a good problem. The bad problem would be having nobody ready. These Yankees are nowhere near that situation.
Hopefully Dominguez avoided a fracture and is back in a week. But if he’s not, Jones is ready. The depth is real.
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