LAKELAND, Fla. — The Yankees reassigned Jasson Dominguez to minor league camp Thursday, but Aaron Boone doesn’t see any further demotions in the outfielder’s future.
“I told him I don’t plan on sending him very often from now on,” the boss said Friday, recalling a conversation he had with the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, the night before. Boone also told Dominguez to keep building on what has been a year of significant progress.
Boone added that the plan is to move Dominguez around the outfield, which could theoretically accelerate his arrival in the big leagues, depending on the needs of the Yankees’ roster in the coming months. Dominguez has played center field exclusively since he began his professional career.
Dominguez enjoyed his first major league camp this spring, hitting .455 with a 1.565 OPS, four home runs, nine RBIs and one stolen base. Still only 20 years old, “The Martian” made a strong impression on Boone.
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“He’s probably a lot closer now and certainly on our radar as far as how the last 12 months have gone,” the manager said before the Yankees’ spring training game against the Tigers in Lakeland, Florida. “He performed very well. Now, the work is not over. Make sure you focus on going there and chasing him and continuing to improve a little bit on all the little things, because I think we all believe he can have an impact here.”
Dominguez, born in the Dominican Republic and signed with a $5.1 million signing bonus that set a franchise record in 2019, didn’t make his organizational debut until 2021 after the pandemic canceled the 2020 minor league season. results in 57 games between rookie ball and Single-A (50 games at Single-A), slashing .252/.353/.379 with five longballs, 19 RBI and nine hits.
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Last season offered more insight into what made Dominguez a coveted international prospect, as he hit .273/.376/.461 with seven triples, 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and 37 stolen bases in 120 singles games. -A, High-A. and Double-A. Dominguez struggled during a brief five-game regular season stint at Double-A (.105/.227/.368 with one HR), but thrived in as many playoff games for Somerset, posting a . 450 while adding three home runs and 10 RBIs.
Now the question is when Dominguez will land in the Bronx, even though he hasn’t played in Triple-A yet. Boone said where Dominguez starts the minor league season depends on New York’s player development staff, although the expectation is that he will return to Double-A.
“(I’m) excited to see where this year takes him,” Boone continued, “and who knows where it ends up.”
