Jasson Dominguez's highlight-reel defensive play has Yankees fans starting to believe

As New York Yankees fans watched JC Escarra strike out to end Sunday's loss to the Miami Marlins, some of them immediately thought of Jasson Domínguez.

What if it had been Domínguez's lefty bat that Aaron Boone called upon for the pinch-hit opportunity in the ninth, with two outs and a runner in scoring position in a one-run game? Would the outcome have been different on Sunday if Domínguez was on the Yankees' roster? It's impossible to say, nor does this suggest that Escarra is a slouch.

But for fans of Domínguez pining for his return to MLB, good news arrived on Sunday: Jasson made a highlight-worthy catch in left field for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. It was just one play, but an important one for a guy who has struggled to look competent in the outfield lately, giving the Yankees one of the two obvious excuses not to feature him on the Opening Day roster.

The other half of that equation is Domínguez's woes as a right-handed hitter, which he also addressed on Sunday! His two hits on the day included a line drive single from the right side of the plate. We won't talk too much about how the frozen rope came off a pitch from a position player. It was a base hit, people!

Jasson Domínguez is giving the Yankees reasons to second-guess his roster snub

Domínguez has followed an impressive spring training (questionable defense notwithstanding) with gaudy numbers so far in Triple A: 1.110 OPS with four extra base hits, two homers, and a 214 wRC+ in seven games.

Yankees fans were confused for a second to see Domínguez benched on back-to-back days in Triple-A against lefty pitching, but Sunday's performance got the vibes back on the right path. That path, by the way, is a mid or late-season promotion for The Martian, presuming his show-stopping catch in left field leads to more consistency out there for the RailRiders, and presuming that something goes awry with the Yankees' roster in the form of injury or Randal Grichuk being terrible.

The best-case scenario for the Yanks is that no injuries occur, Grichuk rakes, and Domínguez keeps looking rock-solid in left, as well as with his right-handed bat. Of course, that would make things interesting for Boone when he's nearing sleep state at night and thinking about lineup options for the rest of the season.

For the segment of Yankees fans heavily invested in Domínguez's rise, Sunday's catch felt good. It was their version of the Cody Bellinger catch. It represented hope, optimism, and a feeling that the baseball gods are on their side.

But Domínguez can't stop here. He must continue working toward convincing the Yankees that his flawed characteristics are fixed. We know that one obvious shortcoming can doom an otherwise nasty prospect (see: Spencer Jones). Stay steady, Jasson! Hold the line. Your time for conquering draws near.