The wait — and the screaming, tweeting and pitchfork-waving from fans in Brian Cashman’s direction — has ended.
Jasson Dominguez’s time has arrived.
Eight days after rosters expanded on Sept. 1 and several weeks after the questions surrounding Dominguez’s status began, the Yankees called up “The Martian” as a late-season addition with large, if unproven, potential.
The club’s overall top prospect and the face of the system since he was signed for $5.1 million in 2019 will get “a lot” of playing time, manager Aaron Boone said before a 10-4 win over the Royals in The Bronx.
With just under three weeks left to play, Dominguez batted sixth, went 1-for-4, stole a base and manufactured a run and played center field on a night Aaron Judge served as designated hitter and Giancarlo Stanton sat.
Jasson Dominguez is getting called up by the Yankees. APDominguez will get more starts in left field, though, which will take time from Alex Verdugo, a polarizing player the organization has stood behind throughout the season.
As recently as Friday, Cashman said Verdugo is “playing good baseball right now” and gave the Yankees the best chance to win. Three days later, the Yankees summoned Dominguez.
What changed?
“I don’t know about change,” Boone said after the club also called up Jon Berti, with DJ LeMahieu hitting the injured list. “Look, the roster’s a living, breathing organism every day that’s always evolving. … Like I said on September 1, when we didn’t initially recall Jasson, he’s in the conversation every single day.
“As much as anything, it’s just continuing to build the momentum he’s built here over the last few weeks.”
Over the last few weeks, Dominguez has been dominant. In what looks to be his final 18 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the 21-year-old hit .347 with four home runs and a .958 OPS.
Dominguez provided a taste of his offensive game with a single that he smacked to left field in the fourth inning. He advanced to second base on a ground out, stole third and scored when the throw sailed into left field.
“I saw the opportunity,” said Dominguez, who stole 40 bases in 2023. “The third baseman was kind of far away, and I took it.”
His ceiling dwarfs that of Verdugo, and in his first taste of the majors last season, the outfielder swatted four home runs in eight games. During that run, though, Dominguez suffered what turned out to be a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery, which kept him sidelined until mid-May.
Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez throws in the out field against the Kansas City Royals. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POSTDominguez returned to play 23 minor league games before an oblique strain cost him about six weeks, stalling a season that he acknowledged has had “a lot of ups and downs.”
“When I came back from the oblique, I struggled a little bit, but right now I feel really good,” said Dominguez, who had a one-game major league cameo last month and went 0-for-4.
Regularly playing Verdugo — who owns a .659 OPS after a solid April and May, miserable June, July and August and decent early September — over a popular and ultra-talented player a station below him had incensed a fan base that had been desperate for Dominguez.
The Yankees put DJ LeMahieu on the IL. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTThe Yankees were aware of the backlash but did not bend until Monday. Dominguez, too, noticed it.
“I saw a couple things on social media. I saw it,” Dominguez said with a smile. “You can feel the support that they give you, it’s always good.”
There are no guarantees with Dominguez, who was played his 10th career major league game and typically played center field in the minors. Now in the middle of a playoff chase he will usually be tasked with patrolling left, an adjustment on its own and a particularly difficult assignment at a Yankee Stadium with a spacious left field. His surgically repaired arm, too, will be tested, Dominguez saying it feels “better than ever.”
Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez grounds out to first base against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST“I think he’ll be able to hold his own out there,” Boone said. “He’s a terrific athlete.”
Dominguez shrugged off the timing of the call-up, which was delayed and was triggered when the Yankees were just a half-game clear of the Orioles in the fight for the AL East.
In the final sprint of the season, they brought up a player who they hope will live up to a nickname that was created from his out-of-this-world play.
“Every time you get the call-up, it’s great,” Dominguez said. “Any time you get that call is something special.”






