Yankees Must Get it Right with Jasson Domínguez This Time

The New York Yankees should give Jasson Domínguez every opportunity to succeed and fail.

New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez against the Chicago Cubs during spring training at Sloan Park. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Jasson Domínguez crushed it this spring. It was about as good a start as you could have, but, in the end, the New York Yankees opted to go with the veteran Randal Grichuk.

The idea was that the outfield was already full, and they wanted Domínguez to get playing time. The return of Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger pushed him back on the depth chart. Then, of course, there's Giancarlo Stanton, who is primarily a DH at this point in his career.

The only other option was to have him serve as a backup outfielder, but the organization opted for Randal Grichuk to take that role. Sitting on the bench the way Domínguez did at the end of last year did him no favors.

Things tend to work themselves out, and now, a month after Domínguez was initially optioned to Triple-A, the roster has opened up a bit. Stanton got hurt, and thus, the surging Domínguez has a chance to impress.

New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez arrives at Rate Field before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

If the plan was for Domínguez to get playing time, and that was why he was sent to Triple-A in the first place, they need to commit to playing him until Stanton is healthy. He should be penciled into the lineup every day, including against lefties.

Numbers at Triple-A

Domínguez has displayed gaudy numbers right from the jump in Scranton and earned that shot over Spencer Jones. He's hitting .326/.415/.478 with a .893 OPS. He has three homers, five doubles, and eight stolen bases.

Those numbers under the hood are good, too. According to Prospect Savant, Domínguez is making hard contact. He has a 92.1 mph average exit velocity, and his 44.3% hard hit rate is above average (72nd percentile) for Triple-A.

Jasson Dominguez went 2-3 today, collecting both hits against a lefty. Jasson's defense continues to be questionable in left field; however, the bat has been playing in AAA.

.318 BA // .412 OBP // .889 OPS // 3 HRs // 13 RBI // 8 SB#Yankees #RepBX pic.twitter.com/gvQ1ORplCv

— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) April 26, 2026

Domínguez's 7.1% barrel rate is also slightly above average. He is in the 61st percentile in that category.

What Domínguez needs to contribute

One thing about Domínguez is how good his eye is. That is still the case this year. While in Triple-A, he has a 15.3% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate. If Domínguez is going to succeed at the major league level, at a minimum, he should be moving the chains in the Yankees' offense.

There's no reason Domínguez can't have a double-digit walk rate in the big leagues, either. Guys like Austin Wells and Ryan McMahon may be the weak links of the Yankees offense, but they are both elite at drawing walks, which looks to be one of the strengths of this Yankees team.

Wells has an 18.8% walk rate. That is in the 96th percentile in baseball. Then, while McMahon has just two extra-base hits this year, his 13.9% walk rate is in the 83rd percentile.

If someone isn't hitting, they need to figure out a way to pass the baton. Last year, Domínguez had a 9.6% walk rate, and a bump from that should be sufficient. It's well within his ability to do so, especially since his strikeout rate in Triple-A is so low.

Jones vs. Domínguez

As for Jones, it was the right move for the Yankees to go with Domínguez. Jones is hitting .221/.352/.465 with five home runs. He has 35 strikeouts in 25 games and is struggling to make contact at the minor league level. It's hard to imagine that translating well to the big leagues - at least, for now.

There's no doubt that Jones is crushing the ball. He has a 94.7 mph average exit velocity, a 59.6% hard hit rate, and an exorbitant 27.7% barrel rate, which blows by what Domínguez has done as far as contact, but the issue is making contact. He has a 35.7% strikeout rate. What does that K rate look like in the big leagues?

For now, Domínguez is the safe choice. And the time is now to put up some solid numbers to ensure that Jones won't take his job. The Yankees should give him every chance to do so.

The issue will be the defense but look: if Domínguez hits, it's easy to be more forgiving. Nobody would confuse Juan Soto with Willie Mays—maybe even Willie Mays Hayes—but he hits. That's where all the value is.