As the Yankees patiently await the start of the 2024 season, they are also monitoring the health and status of Jasson Dominguez, the team’s top prospect. He flashed plenty of talent last season, crushing four home runs in eight games and looking like the middle-of-the-order threat we’ve all hoped he could become. The news that he tore his UCL was devastating, the team was absolutely brutal to watch for stretches of the 2023 season, and he was a glimmer of hope that faded away as fast as he emerged.
That being said, Aaron Boone had some positive updates about the Martian’s progress, mentioning on The Michael Kay Show that the 21-year-old will begin throwing within the next two weeks. It’s a great update for Dominguez, who we expect to see on the Yankees in the summer, and he could provide a nice shot in the arm to a lineup that has some serious talent.
Jasson Dominguez Could Provide a Jolt to the Yankees’ Lineup
The Yankees are expecting big things from their lineup this season with the acquisition of outfielder Juan Soto, who is one of the best players not just in the American League, but all of Major League Baseball. Alongside the 25-year-old superstar are some strong complementary pieces the team acquired in the trade market, as both Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo hope to add more balance and depth to an outfield that lacked firepower last season.
It was a busy offseason for Brian Cashman, and the outfield depth is positioned in a manner that will allow the team to ease Dominguez back into the fold instead of having to rush him back. Relying on a 21-year-old outfield prospect with just eight games of Major League experience to save your outfield depth if someone gets hurt or underperforms would be malpractice, even with the talent that he possesses, and he’ll get a chance to play his way onto the team instead.
He had a meteoric rise through the organization after a brilliant stretch after the All-Star Break that saw the young phenom cut his strikeout rate to just 17.2%, and as a result, his offensive numbers exploded. Dominguez slashed .366/.434/.554 with a 167 wRC+, earning promotions to Triple-A and the Major Leagues over the final months of the season, taking massive leaps at the plate and looking like one of the best prospects in the game.
As the Yankees try to figure out their leadoff situation, the patient and speedy Jasson Dominguez could emerge as an option for the role, as he has all of the tools that you’d want in a top-of-the-order threat. He rarely expands the zone, has developed better contact skills to avoid running high strikeout rates, and has blistering speed with great aggression on the basepaths. It’s not impossible for him to swipe 30+ bases in a season, and the team could greatly use that kind of speed.
Jasson Dominguez could be an excellent mid-season addition to the Yankees’ lineup if the team needs a jolt in their outfield, and it’ll be interesting to see if he forces the Yankees’ hand in the same manner that he did last year when he tore up Triple-A.