Nearly a week has gone by since the Yankees decided not to call up Jasson Domínguez for September.
General manager Brian Cashman discussed this choice before their series with the Cubs, pointing to two main reasons: playing time and winning chances.
Cashman stressed that Domínguez needs daily playtime, which is crucial for his growth at 21 years old. He also mentioned that veteran Alex Verdugo offers a better shot at winning right now, especially since the Yankees are just half a game behind the Orioles in the AL East race.
Verdugo is having his worst season yet, hitting .235/.293/.359 with 11 home runs and one stolen base. His performance has dropped even more in the second half of the season .
Domínguez vs. Verdugo:
In contrast, Domínguez has impressive stats: .318/.379/.519 with 11 home runs and 16 stolen bases across three minor-league levels. On paper, he seems like an upgrade over Verdugo. But what does Cashman see that we don’t?
Looking at ball-tracking data provides some clues:
| Player | Exit velocity | 95 mph+% | 10-30 degrees launch% | Barrel% |
|——–|—————|———-|———————–|———|
| Verdugo (MLB) | 88.2 mph | 36.3% | 29.1% | 15.9% |
| Domínguez (AAA, MLB) | 88 mph | 39.6% | 30.2% | 19.4% |
These metrics show both players hit hard but suggest Domínguez might have a slight edge.
Fans might think keeping Domínguez in Triple-A could hurt their playoff chances.
If these numbers are close enough for Cashman’s liking, it makes sense why they want to keep Domínguez developing in Triple-A rather than thrusting him into high-pressure games now.
However, this doesn’t guarantee it’s the best move by the Yankees; Domínguez could potentially outshine Verdugo if given a chance and boost New York’s odds of overtaking Baltimore.
Whenever teams make odd choices like this one, it’s always worth questioning if there’s more going on behind closed doors than we know about .
What do you think? Should they have called up Domínguez?
