The New York Yankees finally have the chance to promote their top prospect without having to make a corresponding move.
With the month of September officially arriving Sunday, the Yankees are permitted to promote two additional players as rosters expand from 26 to 28 players before the playoffs begin.
This means they can officially call up the organization’s top prospect, outfielder Jasson Dominguez, if they want to.
The 21-year-old outfielder got a temporary call-up earlier this month as the 27th man in the Little League Classic Game against the Detroit Tigers. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against likely Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
The reasons to promote Dominguez are clear. The Yankees haven’t gotten the type of production they had hoped for from Alex Verdugo, who has a .232 batting average and 83 wRC+ this season.
Though Verdugo has been a solid defender in left field, it hasn’t outweighed his poor plate appearances.
After making his return following recovery from a torn UCL that ended his 2023 season last September, Dominguez has excelled in the minor leagues.
Nicknamed “The Martian,” Dominguez has .313 batting average with nine home runs and a .870 OPS in 51 games across all three levels. He’s spent the majority of time in Triple-A where he’s posted a .306 average with five home runs, 18 RBI and a .827 OPS in 37 games.
If the Yankees do indeed promote Dominguez for one of the two extra roster spots in September, he would likely be an everyday player over Verdugo. That means there’s truly only one reason the Yankees wouldn’t promote him for the final month.
With 35 career at-bats at the Major League level, Dominguez is 95 at-bats away from surpassing the rookie threshold. It’s likely the Yankees wouldn’t want to waste his rookie eligibility for the 2025 season by calling him up in the final month.
In the hypothetical scenario Dominguez retains his rookie status for 2025 and then wins Rookie of the Year, the Yankees would receive an extra draft pick following the first round in 2026.
The Yankees already have two rookies vying for the award in 2024 between catcher Austin Wells and starting pitcher Luis Gil.
Whether that’s more important than finishing the season strong with a potentially better option in left field is the debate the Yankees are likely having.
It remains to be seen what will happen Sunday, but the Yankees can officially call up their top prospect for the stretch run.
MORE YANKEES
Yankees star named best addition at MLB trade deadline
Yankees linked as early fit to sign Braves All-Star in free agency
Could Yankees lose Cy Young winner to Mets in free agency?