Is This the Beginning of the End for Yankees Slugger?

Jason Dominguez was dealt tough news over the weekend, as Brian Cashman expressed that Dominguez will likely not have a spot with the New York Yankees to start the 2025-26 campaign.

Jason Dominguez’s Reaction

to Brian Cashman’s Comments

Dominguez was asked about his situation, stating, “I feel good. Obviously, I hear all of that, but I try not to focus on that because there’s been training coming, and this is baseball. A lot of things can happen. “At the end of the day, depending on the situation, they gotta do what’s best for the team. Whatever decision they make, I’ll be ready for.”

Despite Cashman’s comments, Dominguez’s career is far from over. He is still only 23 years old and has shown talent and upside at the MLB level. He may never return as the “Martian,” but he can still prove to be a serviceable outfielder. This spring training will play a massive role in his future. Dominguez understands his game needs to improve, and he is looking as if he is going to shy away from the challenge. If he can show strides of improvement, it could very well make decisions difficult for Aaron Boone and the rest of the bench staff.

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Dominguez’s Beginning of His Young Career

The young Yankees slugger has had a difficult time in the majors to begin his career. Dominguez bursted onto the scene in 2023, but needed Tommy John surgery ahead of the 2024 campaign. This injury had a major setback in his development as the Yankees had to find other options to man the outfield. When he was ready to return in 2024, the Yankees were not able to find an everyday spot for him in the lineup.

Heading into the 2025 season, Dominguez was able to earn a spot within the lineup for Opening Day, but his lacklustre defensive play kept Aaron Boone with little to no reason to keep him within the lineup. The young outfielder showed promise at the plate throughout the season, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy the management staff. By September of last season, Dominguez was seeing little to no playing time. With the Yankees re-signing both Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham, it is looking as if they are closing the door on the Dominican Republic native, at least for this upcoming season.

Where Dominguez Will Likely Fall Within the Lineup

The Yankees will likely send Dominguez down to Triple-A with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to begin the season, as his trade value has dipped to the lowest of his career. Starting Dominguez in Triple-A would allow him to work on his defensive play and hitting instead of carrying him as the team’s fourth outfielder. Cashman wants to give him reps, just not in the big leagues.

At some point over the course of next season, the Yankees are going to need to give Dominguez a chance in the lineup. If he finds the ability to get off to a good start with the RailRiders, and either Grisham or Bellinger struggles or becomes injury-prone, Dominguez may get his first real chance in the big leagues since 2023.