The Yankees have promoted outfielder Jasson Dominguez ahead of Monday’s game against the Royals at Yankee Stadium, the team announced. To make room on the active roster, they placed infielder DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day IL with right hip inflammation. In addition, the Yankees reinstated utility man Jon Berti from the 60-day IL. They had already cleared a spot for him on the 28-man roster by optioning outfielder Duke Ellis on Sunday. To make room for Berti on the 40-man roster, the team designated left-hander Anthony Misiewicz for assignment.
Domínguez made his hotly anticipated MLB debut last September, putting up a .980 OPS and 160 wRC+ in eight games as the Yankees’ center fielder before he tore his UCL and required season-ending Tommy John surgery. The team reinstated him from the injured list this past June, but optioned him to Triple-A rather than put him back on the active roster. It made enough sense at the time, considering New York’s crowded outfield picture; in addition to mainstays Aaron Judge in center and Juan Soto in right, Alex Verdugo was enjoying a solid season as the starting left fielder (108 wRC+, 1.1 FanGraphs WAR at the time). Moreover, Giancarlo Stanton was playing every day at DH. Thus, the Yankees decided to give Domínguez regular reps with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Yet, Verdugo has struggled tremendously over the past three months, batting .210 with a .568 OPS and 62 wRC+. Meanwhile, Dominguez has thrived over the past month at Triple-A, batting .318 with an .893 OPS and 132 wRC+ across his last 27 games. He has also 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts during that time. The 21-year-old was briefly called up to be the 27th man in a doubleheader last month, but he returned to the minors the next day. With the Yankees holding onto the slimmest lead (0.5 games) of any division leader in MLB right now, their hesitance to call up the star prospect seemed strange, to say the least. Now, however, that point of discussion is finally moot.
Dominguez would not have been called up if he weren’t going to get frequent playing time, a point that GM Brian Cashman emphasized last week (per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Indeed, he will start tonight in center field and bat sixth in the Yankees’ lineup. Judge will DH, while Stanton takes the day off against Royals right-hander Brady Singer. The lefty batting Verdugo remains in the lineup, playing left field. It’s safe to presume that Dominguez will eventually take some playing time away from the floundering Verdugo, but he is also a valuable asset as a replacement for Judge in center field. The MVP candidate has held his own at the position, but he is better suited for a corner outfield spot. Furthermore, Judge could surely benefit from some days as the DH when he can stay off his feet for most of the game.
Berti, whom the Yankees acquired from the Marlins this past offseason, has spent almost the entire year on the injured list, first with a groin strain and more recently with a calf strain. He has played just 17 games for New York this year, 16 of them at third base. However, the 34-year-old can also play second base, shortstop, and all three outfield positions in a pinch. Berti is not in the starting lineup tonight, but he will provide the team with versatility off the bench.
LeMahieu has not played since last Tuesday. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters that the veteran’s hip has been an issue for several weeks now, and it’s unclear if he will be able to return before the end of the regular season (per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News). That’s not necessarily much of a loss for the Yankees, considering the former batting champ is hitting .204 with a .527 OPS and 51 wRC+ in 67 games during his age-35 season.
Misiewicz, 29, first joined the Yankees as a waiver claim in July 2023. He re-signed with the organization on a minor league deal this past offseason, and the big league club selected his contract in June. The southpaw made one scoreless appearance for the Yankees before he was returned to Triple-A, where he has pitched to a 3.33 ERA in 54.0 innings this year.
The Yankees claimed Ellis, 26, off of waivers from the Mariners at the end of August. They promoted him to the big leagues when rosters expanded on September 1, and he appeared in three games, collecting one hit and one stolen base. He will return to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
