Jasson Dominguez unlikely to be on Yankees' Opening Day roster, but . . .
Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez watches the flight of the ball as it clears the outfield fence for a home run during a spring training game against the Phillies on Feb. 25 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. Credit: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images/Icon Sportswire
TAMPA, Fla.
Those dreaming of a Martian landing in the Bronx for Opening Day had their fantasy stoked further this past week when Yankees starting centerfielder Harrison Bader was ruled out indefinitely with a strained left oblique.
And on Saturday, there was Jasson Dominguez — "The Martian'' himself — getting the rare start in center for that afternoon’s marquee game (broadcast on YES) against the Phillies at Steinbrenner Field. For the believers, it had to be more than a coincidence, right?
Bader goes down for an extended period (Aaron Boone said it will be ''six weeks, give or take''), and it just so happens the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect — behind shortstop Anthony Volpe, still in the running for the shortstop job — plays the same position. Why not push the switch-hitting prodigy, who turned 20 last month, into the centerfield mix?
Sounds tempting. But there are a number of smart reasons for pumping the brakes on Dominguez's promotion to the majors, not the least of which is the fact that his development topped out at a mere five games at Double-A Somerset last season.
This isn’t a Juan Soto scenario quite yet. But Dominguez is hammering away at the Yankees’ resolve in spring training, and he did so again Saturday by blasting a two-run homer in the 6-3 loss to the Phillies.
In the fifth inning, Dominguez worked a 3-and-1 count against reliever Connor Brogdon and then destroyed the fastball he was waiting for, pulling the 96-mph heater deep into the rightfield seats (384 feet according to Statcast). Dominguez now leads the Yankees with four homers in nine Grapefruit League games and is hitting .421 (8-for-19).
“Wow,” Boone said. “He’s been great. He’s a promising-looking player. I’ve been impressed with how at ease he is, how much he seems to really enjoy the game and his teammates. It looks to me, in the batter’s box, the game is moving slow for him. He’s got that in his DNA — that knowledge of the strike zone, lays off pitches easy and then obviously really good thump from both sides. He’s come a long way in 12 months.”
Despite all that, it remains extremely unlikely that Dominguez will be wearing pinstripes on Opening Day. Probably zero chance, but stranger things have happened. We’ve learned to never say never, even though both Boone and general manager Brian Cashman strongly suggested this past week that the Yankees are ticketing Dominguez to continue his development at Somerset or Scranton rather than rushing him to help them in the Bronx, regardless of Bader’s status.
As for Dominguez, who’s worked to become increasingly proficient in English, he’s not sweating the pace of his promotions or the Yankees’ timeline for him.
“It’s not something in my mind,” he said, partly on his own and with some help from an interpreter. “I’ve got to focus on the present and whatever I have in front of me, so it’s not something that I’m paying close attention to. I just focus on the day-to-day stuff.”
Based on Dominguez’s rapid progress, especially in the past year, we’re not expecting the wait to be very long. Dominguez got the “Martian” nickname for his other-worldly talent — there’s a cartoon alien stitched onto his space-green glove — and it’s easy to see why the Yankees awarded him a $5.1 million signing bonus, a franchise record. But team officials have been equally impressed by his aptitude as a quick learner, a skill that no doubt will dramatically shorten his stay in the minors.
“He continues to show why we invested so heavily into him, which is great,” Cashman said. “He's determined and he's hungry, so he's got all the attributes you need. You get the physical ability, matching the competitive fire and the will to succeed should serve him well.
“Last year was a huge year for him in terms of just putting himself on the map and climbing the ladder as well as he did. Obviously, the sky's the limit for him. We see him as a future everyday player in the big leagues. When that timeframe would be, I don't know. He’s closing the gap.”
Dominguez already has made two appearances on the All-Star stage with back-to-back invites to the Futures Game. In 2021 at Coors Field, he was the first prospect to appear without playing a full minor-league season. Last year at Dodger Stadium, Dominguez smacked a home run a half-inning after dropping a fly ball for a two-run error.
Development-wise, he’s jumped four levels in two years, including three last season. Dominguez batted .306 (48-for-157) with six homers and a .906 OPS in 40 games for High-A Hudson Valley before joining Double-A Somerset for the playoffs (five games, one homer). He was the fourth-youngest player in the Arizona Fall League last year and that performance (.159/.250/.217) stands in stark contrast with how he’s been raking only three months later.
“He seems to be playing better the higher he goes,” Cashman said. “This is his first major league camp and he's killing it.”
Boone reiterated after Saturday’s game that the Opening Day centerfielder’s job is wide open because of Bader’s absence. “I wouldn’t even venture a guess right now,” he said. “But I would say a lot of people are in play.”
At the moment, that list doesn’t appear to include Dominguez. Then again, how often does a Martian come along?
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
