After a slow start to the second half of the season, the New York Yankees finally promoted their top prospect, Jasson Dominguez, on Monday for the first game of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Dominguez batted sixth and played center field in the Yankees’ 10-4 victory on Monday, and he hit seventh while playing left field during their 5-0 loss on Tuesday.
Following just two games, Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to bench Dominguez for Wednesday’s game. Boone cited the pitching matchup as the reason, noting that Royals starter Cole Ragans, a left-handed pitcher, is particularly challenging for right-handed hitters. Boone wanted to include more left-handed batters in the lineup, especially since Dominguez performs better against righties. Boone also wanted to maintain playing time for other players like Dugie and give Wells a rest. “With Ragans being tough on righties, and Domínguez being stronger against right-handed pitchers, I felt it was best to have a left-handed presence in the lineup today,” Boone explained to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
Dominguez, a switch hitter, generally performs better against right-handed pitchers, though his sample size in the majors is limited. In 30 at-bats against righties, he’s hitting .267 with an OPS of .700, while against left-handed pitchers, he’s struggled, hitting just .083 with an OPS of .083 in 12 at-bats. The 21-year-old outfielder is the Yankees’ top prospect and ranks 14th overall in the minors according to MLB.com. Injuries have delayed his major league debut, with a UCL tear last season requiring Tommy John surgery and an oblique strain this season causing him to miss significant time.
Despite these setbacks, Dominguez has shown promise with strong offensive numbers in the minors, accumulating 62 doubles, 47 home runs, 189 RBI, 255 runs scored, and an .817 OPS over 352 games. The Yankees are hoping he can bring more offensive production to left field.
