Three years ago, Jasson Domínguez was one of the most promising position player prospects in baseball. The 2023 campaign saw the man known as “the Martian” demolish Double-A, Triple-A, and MLB pitching, the last two in small samples following a pair of quick promotions as the Yankees’ depth depleted due to injury. Since then, however, he has been unable to truly establish himself in The Show both offensively and defensively.
In 2026, Domínguez took another step back. In 222 plate appearances, the 23-year-old
outfielder slashed .225/.267/.368 with six homers, eight stolen bases, and a 76 wRC+. He wasn’t exactly a menace the year prior and his glove was rough, but the switch-hitter had at least produced against righties enough to be a league-average bat (99 wRC+). Domínguez was worth -0.2 fWAR in 2026 and now has 0.5 in 206 career MLB games.
Injuries were a factor, particularly that low-grade AC joint sprain he suffered back in May that sent him to the list, but the reality is that even after getting healthy, Domínguez didn’t impress nearly enough to give the Yankees a reason to stick with him as their overall offense sagged. Eventually, the Bombers acquired Heliot Ramos and promoted Spencer Jones, making Domínguez expendable on the active roster. He went to the minors and appeared in just four MLB games post-Trade Deadline.
This all leads to the question: should the Yankees keep Domínguez around for 2027? Has he done enough to keep getting chances? It all comes down to New York’s winter activity and his one minor-league option. That’s probably enough to keep him around as organizational depth, with at least a modicum of breakout appeal, but there are several avenues the team can opt to take with the former top prospect.
The Yankees will enter the 2027 campaign with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Jones, and Ramos in the outfield, plus Domínguez and José Caballero, who can also play there if needed (Giancarlo Stanton is purely a DH if he returns). A new outfielder via free agency or trade can’t be ruled out, either. That’s a lot of people for just a handful of spots, and for the sake of his development, the Martian should be playing every day.
If Domínguez isn’t traded in the offseason, he will likely start the year in Triple-A unless he wins a spot in spring training (or “summer” training, whenever it takes place due to the looming lockout). It’s probably a less likely scenario at this point, but it’s certainly plausible, especially if any injuries pop up ahead of him.
Trading Domínguez when his value is this low might not be ideal—they’re not going to trade him just to trade him—but again, it will all depend on the proposed return and if he’s fitting in as the lead piece in a deal or part of a larger package. Gauging his current value against what he could offer down the road is tricky because just as he has bounce-back potential, he could also crash out even more and become older and worse.
Probably thanks to that remaining minor-league option, Domínguez will remain with the Yankees if they don’t find a trade scenario that feels appropriate. However, his time with the organization is reaching a turning point as he enters a key offseason in his development. He’s currently playing Dominican winter ball in LIDOM, but things might get messy if/when the Yanks can’t communicate with him to track his training and offseason routine because of the lockout.
Lockout or not, Domínguez needs to take a step forward in the plate discipline department after posting an awful 4.5-percent walk rate in 2026. That’s where it all should start. A quick look at his Savant page, however, tells us that the raw tools are there for Domínguez to be better than he has been to this point:
Upper-echelon bat speed, but subpar contact metrics. Elite arm strength, but subpar defense and range. He has excellent speed, too, so athleticism doesn’t seem to be the problem.
Domínguez needs to hit the ball with more authority, but above all things, he needs to gain consistency with both swings. This year, he posted a 58 wRC+ hitting from the left side of the plate and 105 from the right side, which is baffling because the split was reversed in each of his previous three MLB campaigns.
There’s a very good chance that Domínguez is part of the Yankees organization as teams enter play in 2027. But if so, there’s no longer any margin for error. His spot in the team’s future plans is unquestionably in jeopardy.
