New York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez is finally on his way to the big leagues.
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For Yankees fans clamoring for change, you got it. It's officially a "Baby Bombers" September. After Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira made the leap a couple of weeks ago, the mega-prospect Dominguez as well as highly-touted catcher Austin Wells will join starting shortstop Anthony Volpe as part of a youth movement in the Bronx, as per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The New York Yankees are calling up their top two prospects, outfielder Jasson Dominguez and catcher Austin Wells, sources tell ESPN.
The 20-year-old Dominguez, a center fielder, and 24-year-old Wells, a catcher, are expected to debut with the team this weekend in Houston.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 30, 2023
This is a lost season for the Yankees, no way around it. They're three games below .500, and 10 games away from a wild card spot. With no chance at a postseason berth, the Bronx Bombers have decided to see just what they have in some of their most prized prospects, and no name in that group is bigger than Jasson Dominguez, dubbed by many "The Martian" due to his seemingly unreal physical profile.
The 20-year-old Dominguez was signed with a $5.1 million signing bonus, absorbing almost all of the Yankees' $5.4 million total international allotment. He dazzled scouts and fans from the age of 16 with his size and strength, beautiful swing from both sides of the plate, and 5-tool package that appeared "not of this world," en route to his cosmic nickname.
Dominguez had an excellent spring training with the Yankees but started the season in AA Somerset, where he struggled mightily out of the gates but adjusted enough to get his season OPS up to .781, driven in large part by excellent plate discipline and a lot of walks. He's only been in AAA Scranton for 9 games, but has ripped the cover off the ball, batting .419 with an OPS North of 1.000. He's also significantly dropped his strikeout rate over the past couple of months, a major development in regards to his MLB potential.
Of course, Dominguez is still 20 years old, and is set to become the youngest Yankee to debut in the Big Leagues since Melky Cabrera, interestingly enough another switch-hitting Dominican-born outfielder, back in 2005. It's possible, probable even that he struggles to adjust, as we've already seen from Peraza and Pereira, and to an extent Volpe too. But this call-up isn't about this season, it's about a special prospect getting some experience ahead of his full-season debut next fall.
And it doesn't hurt to inject some excitement back into a season that has largely fallen flat. Yankees fans have become very discontent with their team, but with the Astros coming to town and The Martian in the lineup, there won't be an empty seat in the house this Friday night.
