Yankees' call-up of Jasson Dominguez shows they finally mean business in AL East race
Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez warms up before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on Monday, Sept. 8, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Mark down Sept. 9 on your calendar as the day the Yankees finally got serious about winning the AL East.
Calling up Jasson Dominguez took longer than anyone could have anticipated, and making pinch runner Duke Ellis the sole position-player addition when the rosters expanded on Sept. 1 came off as a master troll job by general manager Brian Cashman.
The GM even kept up the charade Friday morning at Wrigley Field, where he said in so many words that Dominguez still playing for the RailRiders, by proxy, gave the Yankees their “best chance to win.”
Over the next 72 hours, that clearly changed, and by Monday afternoon, when the clubhouse door swung open to reporters, there was a locker with Dominguez’s nameplate above it and his belongings stashed neatly inside. Dominguez, who started in centerfield and batted sixth, helped manufacture the Yankees’ first run Monday night with a single, a steal of third and then scoring on a throwing error. But it was Austin Wells, the other rookie, who delivered the biggest impact with a homer and four RBIs in the Yankees’ 10-4 rout of the Royals.
Not only that, Alex Verdugo -- soon to be marginalized by Dominguez’s arrival -- blasted a two-run homer, only his second in 51 games. Afterward, Verdugo sounded resigned to his fate, but claimed he had not yet talked with manager Aaron Boone about the Martian’s impact on his starting job in leftfield.
“Whatever that means, that means, right?” Verdugo said. “If I lose a little bit of playing time, I lose a little bit of playing time. At the end of the day, I want to win. The only thing that matters is getting to the playoffs and winning there.”
Dominguez didn’t flat-out take Verdugo’s job — not yet anyway, as the Martian was put in centerfield for Monday night’s game against the Royals while Verdugo stayed in his customary leftfield spot. Juan Soto remained in right, Aaron Judge shifted to DH and Giancarlo Stanton took a seat.
Moving forward, however, there’s no need to keep up appearances or worry about who’s happy. Verdugo is a free-agent goner at the end of this season anyway, and with 18 games left to fight off the Orioles after Monday, the Yankees are way past the point of soothing egos. Or should be.
“This time of year,” Boone said, “it’s about being a pro.”
As for the plan with Dominguez, however, Boone was didn’t get very specific, other than to say, “Jasson’s going to play a lot.”
Do the math. If everyone is healthy, Verdugo is the one who gets squeezed out on a regular basis, and regardless of his useful glove, the .609 OPS in the second half doesn’t help. We get Boone trying to keep all his players in the mix from a mental standpoint, but winning has to be the only motivation once the calendar flips to September.
Piece by piece, the Yankees are getting there. Over the weekend, rotation stalwart Nestor Cortes piggybacked with Clarke Schmidt in a relief role that he was unhappy about. On Monday, in addition to Dominguez’s arrival, DJ LeMahieu suddenly wound up on the IL with what the Yankees described as a “right hip impingement.”
The oft-injured LeMahieu has been stunningly unproductive for the Yankees in season four of his six-year, $90 million contract. Boone couldn’t pinpoint when LeMahieu was hurt exactly, other than to say it was a lingering condition that worsened over the course of a long season.
Bottom line, the Yankees subbed out Ellis and LeMahieu with Dominguez and the newly activated Jon Berti, so they’re already an improved team for the stretch run. Could this have happened sooner? We don’t see why not. But the Yankees got there Monday and still had a half-game edge on the Orioles, who have given their Bronx pals a ridiculous margin for error. Now retooled, it’s time for Boone & Co. to take care of business.
“It’s kind of all hands on deck,” Boone said. “We feel like our roster’s strong right now, and capable, and has a chance to do something really special.”
Better late than never. The Yankees have been an impossible team to figure out this season, and barely a mediocre one since mid-June, as they’ve played seven games under .500 (32-39) in that stretch. Dominguez alone isn’t able to fix a lineup that has depended on Judge and Soto — with some recent pop from rookie catcher Austin Wells — but the Martian certainly can make it better. And he shouldn’t be spooked by September, either.
“I think he enjoys the bright lights,” Boone said. “I don’t think he’s overwhelmed wherever he is.”
Where Dominguez is now is the Bronx. Finally.
When I asked him if he was getting anxious for the call, he shook his head. But it wasn’t hard to tell Monday that he feels as if he belongs here.
“I like to compete, I like the challenges,” he said. “And this is the last level, right? This is the best challenge that you can have, and I like it.”
Other than changing Cashman’s mind. But with Scranton in the rearview mirror for Dominguez, maybe the Yankees can put the overdue narrative behind them, too.
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.
