Jasson Dominguez's Looming Return Leaves Yankees With a Clear Demotion to Make

New York knows what it has to do when the 23-year-old outfielder returns.

Jasson Domínguez will be rejoining the Yankees soon, which will likely leave a certain player without a roster spot. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Yankees' lineup is slowly getting healthier as the 2026 MLB season continues, and more reinforcements are on the way in the form of Jasson Domínguez.

The 5'9" Dominican outfielder has been sidelined after sustaining a low-grade AC joint sprain in his left shoulder when he crashed into the outfield wall in a 9-2 win over the Rangers on May 7. Having said that, Domínguez officially started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barres last week, and it's safe to say that his latest performance sparked hope that he'll rejoin the Yankees soon.

Making a rare right-field appearance during Scranton's 5-2 win over Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, Domínguez went an impressive 3-for-4 in the batter's box. He tallied a walk and a stolen base, as well as a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning—his first round-tripper since homering against the Orioles on May 3.

Jasson Dominguez goes yard from the right side on his rehab assignment! pic.twitter.com/InANLPFOBU

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 10, 2026

After that, the Yankees likely wouldn't mind seeing what Domínguez can do in their RF spot with Aaron Judge on the injured list for the foreseeable future.

It certainly looks like Domínguez is returning to form, meaning it might not be long before he's back in Yankees manager Aaron Boone's lineup. At the same time, someone must lose their roster spot to open the door for the 23-year-old OF, with one candidate sticking out more than the rest.

Anthony Volpe should be demoted when Jasson Dominguez returns

When it comes to which player the Yankees should turn the page on to get Domínguez's bat back in the mix, Anthony Volpe is at the top of the list. Max Schuemann is too versatile, Spencer Jones is slowly discovering his touch and New York won't dump one of its backup catchers—J.C. Escarra and Ali Sánchez—until Austin Wells returns, leaving Volpe as the obvious odd man out.

After beginning the season hurt and in the minors, Volpe was given a chance with the Yankees in mid-May after starting shortstop José Caballero landed on the IL with a fractured finger. His performance was far from perfect to start, but Volpe sparked hope that he was back on track when he slashed .297/.366/.459 with one home run, eight RBIs, four stolen bases and four walks in 37 at-bats from May 17 to the end of the month.

Unfortunately, the former 2019 first-rounder's resgurgence didn't last long.

Anthony Volpe's ongoing cold streak makes him an obvious candidate to lose a roster spot to Jasson Domínguez. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Since the start of June, Volpe has registered only one hit across 20 ABs while striking out five times. He owns a .145 OPS with one total base during that stretch. If that wasn't bad enough, his 27% hard-hit rate and 81.9 mph average exit velocity in those games, per Baseball Savant, aren't encouraging signs, either.

You can't even use Volpe's defense—which has also been questionable this season—to justify keeping him on the roster. His bat is entering automatic-out territory, and he's doing more harm than good. It's time to pull the plug on this experiment and turn the page, whether that means sending him back down to Scranton or finding a trade partner willing to undertake a reclamation project.

The Yankees ridding themselves of Volpe would also make Boone's life easier. The New York skipper wouldn't have to worry about finding a balance between Volpe and Caballero's playing time, instead handing full-time SS duties back to the latter, who's proven he deserves it more often than not. At least, more so than Volpe has.

And if, for whatever reason, Caballero regresses, the Yankees always have top prospect George Lombard Jr. waiting in the wings. There's been buzz that New York could give Lombard a crack at the starting shortstop role by the end of the season, making his development worth monitoring.

In the meantime, demoting Volpe will help the Yankees clear room for Domínguez, who was slashing .200/.250/.367 with one homer, four RBIs, one walk and a 0.1 WAR in nine games (30 ABs) before getting hurt. The 5-foot-9, 218-pounder's return won't be denied for long if he keeps crushing balls in rehab, meaning the clock is likely ticking on Volpe's time in the Bronx.