Brian Cashman’s highly criticized Yankees decision looms large after Aaron Judge injury

It feels as though both Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones have had their names circulating in trade rumors more or less every day for the past three years or so. And yet, much to the chagrin of Yankees fans who were desperate to see one or both of them packaged in deals that would've upgraded the big-league roster, Brian Cashman has refused to pull the trigger.

Whether that's a sign of Cashman's faith in his two young outfielders, or a sign that their value around the league might not be quite as high as everyone assumed, the fact remains that New York has placed a pretty sizable bet on their development. Rather than getting something of value in return — or simply open up paths to playing time for other options — Cashman stuck to to his guns, implicitly telling fans that sooner or later they'd be glad both of them stuck around.

But with Aaron Judge on the shelf for at least the next month (and almost certainly longer), sooner or later has officially arrived. The Yankees can no longer afford to keep hanging on and hoping for Dominguez and Jones to pan out. This is the sort of crisis that Cashman avoided blowing a hole in his farm system for, and if neither of them are ready to step into the void, it'll be all too easy to wonder about the roads not traveled.

Aaron Judge injury is the ultimate test of Yankees' faith in Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones

Cashman, to an almost maddening extent, has always been one to keep one eye firmly fixed on the future. Shoving all your chips into the middle of the table can be an intoxicating idea, until your next hand goes bust and you're suddenly wondering where all your money went. And so Dominguez and Jones remained in the Yankees organization; after all, if even one of them turned into an above-average everyday outfielder with several years of cost control, that would be worth its weight in gold.

But that plan only works if ... you know, the players in question actually develop. Dominguez has shown flashes so far in his still-young MLB career, and he's certainly been the victim of bad luck, but he's also yet to definitively prove he can be a big-league starter. Jones is already 25, and his first taste of life in the Majors only seemed to confirm everyone's worst fears about his inability to make contact.

Again, you can make valid excuses for both players. Dominguez has had his development jerked around both by his own organization and by the injury gods; Jones got 27 MLB plate appearances before being sent back down. This next stretch, though, is when the excuses run dry.

With Judge out and Giancarlo Stanton seemingly at least a couple weeks away from a return of his own, the Yankees have no other choice but to turn to Jones and Dominguez (as soon as he returns from his rehab assignment) to play either right field or DH.

If they're not ready, it could be devastating for New York's hopes of a World Series run. Sure, the Yankees are still a very good bet to at least snag a Wild Card spot, but we know from experience how treacherous the postseason path can be without a first-round bye. And it would also invite a whole lot of hard questions for Cashman about how he's handled his young talent over the last two or three years, and whether his team would've been better off going the extra mile for Sandy Alcantara or another proven piece.

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