Jasson Dominguez is forcing the Yankees into a roster decision right now

The New York Yankees have an incoming roster crunch, and how they handle it will be fascinating. The first order of business is figuring out what to do with Jasson Dominguez.

The Martian began his rehab assignment on June 5, setting the scene for some potentially tough decisions. With Aaron Judge out, the outfield is entirely left-handed bats, making it difficult to see where the switch-hitter, who has always struggled from the right side, fits in.

Dominguez, however, is doing his part to show real improvement. He went 3-for-3 with a walk and a homer, all while batting right-handed, during Scranton's June 9 matchup against Lehigh Valley. It's not just one game, either. The 23-year-old has hit .419/.471/.774 over 34 plate appearances against southpaws in Triple-A this season.

The Yankees are also doing what they can to improve his versatility. Pre-injury, he got some work in center field down in Scranton, and now they have him playing right field for the first time in his career since 2024, when he made one minor league appearance at the position.

Dominguez could be ready for activation soon, and it looks like the barriers to his return to the big league roster are being removed, but it's not that simple.

Yankees will make the Jasson Dominguez roster decision more difficult than it needs to be

The first order of business will be deciding whether New York would be willing to carry both Spencer Jones and Dominguez on the 26-man roster. While there are currently only three true outfielders in the mix right now, Amed Rosario, Max Schuemann, and Jose Caballero all have the ability to play the corners, while Cody Bellinger's versatility gives the club a way to spell Trent Grisham in center.

If this is a battle between the young outfielders, the choice will be a difficult one. Since being recalled on June 5, Jones is 6-for-12 in the four games that he's played. Not only that, he blasted his first career homer on June 9 against the Guardians, which was the third-longest dinger the club has produced all season.

The next candidate to be sent down is Max Schuemann. An afterthought when he was acquired in February from the Athletics, the 29-year-old has been a spark plug for New York and a pest to the opposition, hitting .250/.483/.400 in limited action while logging time at second, short, third, and both outfield corners.

There's a case to be made that his versatility and gritty attitude belong on the roster, and that his presence gives the Yankees the flexibility to carry a more limited player on the bench.

Finally, we get to the crux of the issue. The other player with options remaining who could be sent down is Anthony Volpe. Mired in a 2-for-33 slump, he's proving that his early hot streak was a byproduct of poor competition rather than a concerted change.

The 25-year-old isn't just struggling at the plate; he's made some baffling defensive miscues and provides no positional versatility. Despite that, Aaron Boone has staunchly defended him to the point that he's arguing against the evidence we've seen with our own eyes.

Clearly, the right answer is to send Volpe back down to Scranton in favor of Dominguez when the young outfielder is ready, but there's no guarantee that the Yankees will make the obvious call. In fact, one of these significantly more useful pieces may end up being the roster casualty, or Dominguez might be held down despite him earning his opportunity, just as he did prior to his injury.

Hopefully, that doesn't happen, and Brian Cashman makes the right call, but when it comes to Volpe and the Yankees, you just never know.

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