Alexander Wilson
Watching Jasson Dominguez play baseball is one of the more conflicting experiences in the New York Yankees fan’s emotional calendar. When he has a bat in his hands, you understand immediately why this organization signed him out of the Dominican Republic at 16 and spent years building him into one of the most hyped prospects in baseball. When he is tracking a fly ball in left field, you understand why they sent him to Triple-A instead of keeping him around for a bench role.
Through four games in Scranton, both versions are showing up right on schedule.
The Bat Is Doing Its Job
Dominguez is hitting .294/.333/.471 with a home run and four RBIs over his first four Triple-A games, solid numbers from a 23-year-old who needed everyday at-bats more than a roster spot he would rarely use. His career offensive profile shows a hitter with genuine power, legitimate speed, and the kind of bat-to-ball ability that makes pitchers uncomfortable. In 2025, he posted a .719 OPS over 429 plate appearances despite spending most of the second half in an irregular role that made building any rhythm nearly impossible.
The underlying numbers were always more interesting than the surface. His average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and sprint speed are all well above league average. When he is getting regular at-bats and locked into a routine, the offensive production follows. The early Triple-A return suggests nothing has changed on that front.
What the Yankees have always needed from him that they have not been able to fully extract is progress from the right side of the plate. Dominguez hit .204 with a .569 OPS against left-handed pitchers in 2025, which makes him essentially a left-handed only hitter in a major league context. For a roster spot to make sense, he needs to be a threat from both sides. Whether that improvement is happening in Scranton through the first week is the actual development question worth tracking.
The Defense Remains the Problem
Here is the uncomfortable reality: the defensive issues in left field are not resolving at the rate the organization needs them to. Dominguez posted minus-nine outs above average in left field last season, and early Triple-A footage from this year has already generated enough lowlight-reel clips to frustrate fans who were hoping for visible improvement.
The routes to fly balls remain inconsistent. Balls near the warning track have been a particular problem, and the combination of hesitant reads and occasional misjudgments creates the kind of risk in left field that a championship-caliber team cannot absorb regularly. This was precisely why the Yankees opted to carry Randal Grichuk on the Opening Day roster rather than give Dominguez a bench role. Grichuk was not better than Dominguez with a bat. He was simply safer in the outfield when asked to appear.
I genuinely believe in Jasson Dominguez as an offensive player, and I think the Yankees do too. The problem is that baseball requires 27 outs per game and some of those come at his expense. The organization has been patient. They have been clear-eyed about what the issues are. What they have not yet seen is meaningful progress in the area that matters most for his inclusion in a competitive roster.
What Happens Next
Trent Grisham is starting in center field for the Yankees and hitting at a below-average clip. Giancarlo Stanton has dealt with elbow issues in back-to-back seasons. The Yankees know exactly who their first call is if either of those situations creates an opening, and right now that call goes to Dominguez.
The bat will be ready. The glove is the only question standing between him and a significant role on a 5-1 team.
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