Tag: Jasson Dominguez

Anthony Volpe’s Return Brings Exciting Possibilities

The New York Yankees are going to the World Series.

They have made the move that will seal the deal.

Anthony Volpe has returned from Triple A Scranton.

Don’t laugh.

Anthony Volpe will lead the Yankees to the World Series. Credit: Newsday

Can’t you see it? The most maligned Yankee of the last decade is the difference between the Fall Classic and yet another early Fall exit.

After all of the verbal abuse Volpe has endured over the last two seasons, it would be fitting that he plays a big role in securing the Yanks’ second World Series berth in three years. Not too long ago,Volpe won a Gold Glove for his work at shortstop as a rookie while clubbing 21 home runs. It seems nothing has gone right for him since his grand slam during the 2024 World Series. Defensive miscues and dreadful plate appearances contributed to a number of boos at home games and villification on sports talk radio. It appeared that the only folks who continued to believe in him were Brian Cashman, and, if you pay attention to AI videos, his stepfather, Aaron Boone. The organization finally couldn’t endure anymore subpar play and sent him away in favor of George Lombard Jr. who, if you consume enough YES, had the greatest debut in Yankees’ history.

Picture the scene. It is the top of the 9th inning in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The place: Tropicana Field. Bryan Baker, who is five for five in save opportunities in the playoffs for the Rays, is on to send Tampa to the World Series. The Yanks trail 4-3 and are down to their final out with Vople coming to the plate. However, Lombard, Jr stands at second base with Jasson Dominguez on as a pinch runner at first. Yes, that Jasson Dominguez, another formerly untouchable prospect who also found himself on the outs. Well, he is about to have his own Dave Roberts moment.

Ah, look at the prospects all grown up now.

The count is full. Baker’s sixth pitch is drilled to the left center field gap by Volpe. Lombard, Jr. scores easily and after stumbling, Dominguez, making his first appearance in the series does his best Sid Bream impersonation by chugging around third base and just beating the relay by Taylor Walls. The Yanks take a 5-4 lead.

But wait, there is more.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, David Bednar is trying to hold it down. Junior Caminero is on first base with two outs. Liam Hicks lifts a ball to dead center field. Spencer Jones goes back on the ball, but trips on his shoelaces. As luck would have it, the ball bounces right to him as he stands up. Jones makes a beautiful throw to Volpe who, in turn, fires a strike to Austin Wells who applies the tag to Caminero.

Aaron Boone’s stepson did it! The biggest inning of his life propels New York to its 35th World Series!

The preceding blog was written with a dash of exaggeration. That being said, don’t be surprised if Anthony Volpe has a big hit or two this October.

Where Have You Gone, Jasson Dominguez?

Remember the good old days of “The Martian”? No, I am not referring to the 2015 movie starring Matt Damon. I am talking about Jasson Dominguez. You know, the guy that once upon a time was the most talked about player in the New York Yankees’ minor league system. Heck, the only other player with more hype in the entire organization was Aaron Judge. We loved his September 2023 callup at the age of 20, finally getting a glimpse of the player we had heard about for four years. He did not disappoint, slugging four home runs in 33 plate appearances.

What a difference two years makes.

Will we ever see Jasson Dominguez in a full time role with the Yankees again? Credit: Yahoo

Dominguez has had seemingly nothing but issues since his highly anticipated debut. His 2023 campaign was cut short because of a torn UCL. When he returned the following May in the Minors, he appeared in 23 games before an oblique strain sidelined him. He finally returned to the Majors in August and received significant playing time in September. However, a .179 batting average made him a spectator for the Yanks’ World Series run. Fast forward to today, and Dominguez has once again been relegated to the bench. He has not started any of the games against the Minnesota Twins this week and most likely will be the odd man out until Judge returns to the field full time.

Actually, there is no guarantee Dominguez becomes a regular for the rest of the season. No way Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton are coming out of the lineup. Trent Grisham seems to be more trusted than Dominguez. It feels as though he will get one, maybe two starts per week from now until October. In fact, Domingez may not even be on the team in 2026. Even though Grisham will be a free agent and Bellinger could very well opt out of his contract, can’t you see the Yankees attempt to re-sign both players? That would once again relegate Dominguez to a part time role, a return to the Minors, or a trade out of town. Any of those three scenarios seemed laughable two years ago.

Should Domiguez fail to earn a full time role in 2026, he will just be another in a long line of “can’t miss” Yankee prospects that did not pan out in the Bronx. Think of guys like Everson Pereira, Deivi Garcia, Estevan Florial and Oswald Peraza. You can argue that none of these players were given a long enough rope to see whether or not they could play at the Major League level. They certainly were not allowed to fail and try to get back up like Anthony Volpe. Unfortunately, it appears Jasson Dominguez is headed for the same path as the aforementioned Pereira and company. Is his trade value cooked? Maybe not as toasted as the other players. However, Dominguez’s best chance to land an every day role in the Show may only come with a change of scenery.