Sep 3, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) before the game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Sep 3, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) before the game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Somehow, in hilarious fashion, the New York Yankees went from having a wildly incomplete outfield from 2020-2023 but now having too many bodies in 2024 to (very reasonably) make room for their most talented top prospect, who has proven himself ready for MLB action.

So the longer general manager Brian Cashman keeps coming up with excuses not to call up Dominguez despite lackluster play on the big-league roster, the more frustrated fans will become. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? In short, the Yankees do not care what you think or how you feel.

Over the weekend, Cashman was once again asked about Dominguez, who is logging meaningless reps at Triple-A despite being fully healthy and ready to perform. The Yankees had no problem fast-tracking him last September when the lineup was on life support and needed a spark.

In just a week, Dominguez proved he was built for the big stage. Then he woke up with elbow soreness and needed Tommy John surgery, becoming the 100th Yankees position player to inexplicably undergo the procedure since 2017.

Dominguez hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in his return to Triple-A this season (after multiple injuries, mind you), but he doesn’t belong in the minor leagues. He is a talent suited for Major League Baseball after logging a .980 OPS in his first eight games with the Yankees in 2023.

Brian Cashman keeps putting target on his back with Jasson Dominguez comments

Though the Yankees have exited their 11-24 slide that put their playoff hopes in peril for a moment, they’ve still failed to find a comfortable level of consistency since the start of June, and their most recent embarrassment against the White Sox only emphasizes that.

Yes, the Yankees are 70-50. Good team! But not good enough when it’s put into context. Their failures within the AL East division and their insistence of continuing to play down to their competition are major problems. Not to mention, the unthinkable slumps that eat various players alive annually (Anthony Volpe, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton, Alex Verdugo, Carlos Rodón, Clay Holmes, etc. etc. etc.).

But again, this is an instance of the Yankees trying to tell fans something completely different than what they’re witnessing on a nightly basis. There is certainly a lane for Dominguez, especially with Verdugo no longer being a suitable everyday starter. That’s a player the Yankees aren’t married to in any capacity! He’s a free agent after the season!

If the Yankees don’t feel they can upgrade over Verdugo’s .237 average, .668 OPS and 86 OPS+, then they’re more hopeless than we could’ve ever imagined. The left fielder has just two home runs, 15 doubles and 21 RBI since the beginning of June (59 games). He’s OPSing below .600 and hitting below .200 over that span. That’s more than half the season.

There, Brian. We found the lane for Dominguez. And it involves either demoting Verdugo to part-time duty or placing him on waivers. We’d rather not see the latter happen, but how can this team possibly expect to get better after making what amounted to one total impact move at the trade deadline while the usual suspects continue to drag the offense/pitching staff down?