The Yankees have finally put their best players on the field.
After 143 games, the Yankees called up top prospect Jasson Domínguez on Monday. This move came just days after GM Brian Cashman backed Alex Verdugo, saying he gave them the best chance to win. Now, Domínguez is set to play a lot according to manager Aaron Boone.
Cashman mentioned that they are always evaluating what gives them the best chance to win. He said over the weekend that they were sticking with Verdugo for now but could change their minds anytime. Domínguez has been impressive in Triple-A, hitting .364/.430/.580 with five homers in his last 22 games and went 1 for 4 with a stolen base in Monday’s win over the Royals (NY 10, KC 4). Verdugo also had a good game going 2 for 4 with a home run. Rookie catcher Austin Wells stole the show with a go-ahead three-run homer .
Yankees’ Lineup Changes:
Despite Monday’s performance, Verdugo has struggled most of the year—rarely hitting home runs or stealing bases and having a .296 on-base percentage. Domínguez will likely take more at-bats from Verdugo even though they both played on Monday (Judge was DH and Stanton sat out).
Verdugo commented after Monday’s game that if losing playing time means winning, he’s okay with it because getting to and winning in the playoffs is all that matters.
Fans might think it’s about time these changes were made!
The Yankees’ handling of Domínguez has been puzzling at times. For instance, he was called up as the 27th man for one game against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal but wasn’t kept on full-time despite performing well enough to bat fifth against such a tough pitcher.
For weeks, Domínguez was seen as good enough to hit high in the lineup but not good enough to replace Verdugo until recently. The Yankees finally decided to make changes when needed but took longer than expected.
This isn’t just about Domínguez; other players like Clay Holmes stayed too long in roles where they underperformed—Holmes blew 11 saves before being replaced as closer last week! Anthony Volpe also led off for too long despite poor performance and Wells didn’t get regular catching duties until an injury forced it.
Sometimes patience pays off but often this season it felt like complacency from the Yankees’ side—they waited too long for many changes including replacing Verdugo with Domínguez.
With less than three weeks left in regular season play, New York now has its healthiest roster yet: Luis Gil, Ian Hamilton, Anthony Rizzo along with Clarke Schmidt are back from injuries since September started—and now adding Domínguez too!
Monday’s win plus Orioles’ loss gave Yankees a slight lead in AL East standings—a division where both teams have played mediocre ball lately making what should be an exciting race feel lackluster
If things don’t work out perfectly with Dominguez? They can always revert back—but every small upgrade counts right now! Should’ve promoted him sooner maybe—but here we are: final stretch ahead & strongest squad so far ready-to-go!
What do you think? Is this lineup change going help them clinch AL East?
