New York Yankees Boss Wants Top Prospect to Make Most of Opportunity

The New York Yankees' top prospect is poised to get his first opportunity for consistent playing time — but he has to earn it.

Sep 22, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) steps on home plate after hitting a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics in the second inning at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are just a couple of weeks away from the start of Spring Training and the quest for championship No. 28 is underway.

Despite losing one of their best players from last season, the Yankees are still expected to be one of the best teams in baseball in 2025. The front office did a really nice job after missing out on Juan Soto in free agency, rounding out what is now a balanced team.

However, the loss of Soto is a significant one for the outfield. Currently, it appears that the starting outfield will be Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Jasson Dominguez.

While Judge and Bellinger are both established players and former MVPs, Dominguez is still young and relatively unknown. The 21-year-old has a ton of talent and has been regarded not only as the Yankees’ best prospect but also as one of the best prospects in baseball for the last two years.

The 21-year-old has had a couple of cups of tea in the big leagues with New York, playing in eight games in 2023 and 18 games in 2024. However, he is projected to be a starting outfielder from the jump this year, and they will need him to produce.

Recently, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talked about Dominguez and what the team is expecting of him this year.

“I’d like to see Dominguez get his shot,” general manager Cashman said to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “Now, he’s young. He’s got to earn it, and he’s got to retain it.”

The pressure is certainly going to be on for the top prospect to produce for New York in 2025. While they don’t need him to be a superstar right away, living up to expectations is certainly something the team is relying on.

With a massive question mark in the infield already at either second base or third base, the Yankees can’t afford for Dominguez to also struggle in the outfield. One of the main issues for New York offensively last year was the lack of depth outside of Judge and Soto in the lineup.

The hope this season is that the Yankees will have a strong lineup from top to bottom. Dominguez is the type of prospect who has flashed the ability to be a five-tool player. In 353 games in the minors, he totaled 47 home runs, 102 stolen bases, and an OPS of .816.

At his age, Dominguez will certainly have some growing pains in the majors. However, if he can be a well-rounded talent like he showed in the minors, he can provide New York with a significant boost to their lineup.