Jasson Dominguez's response to Yankees rumors set him up for all-time redemption arc

Over the weekend, Brian Cashman said the quiet part out loud about Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones, essentially foreshadowing that the two youngsters will not make the New York Yankees' Opening Day roster. It's not official, but the writing is on the wall.

As it pertains to Dominguez, the young slugger has not had a fortunate run at the MLB level. After bursting onto the scene in 2023 during a lost year for the Bombers, Dominguez needed Tommy John surgery that offseason, which (rightfully) had the Yankees preparing for different outfield plans. That squeezed him out of the picture when he was ready to return in 2024.

Then, in 2025, he did enough to earn a starting job on Opening Day. He was asked to handle left field duties with the Yankees opting to use Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham in center field. Unfortunately, his defense ended up being quite bad and his bat just wasn't impactful enough to justify giving him everyday reps over the more productive veterans.

His playing time got more and more scarce, and by September he was hardly seeing any action. So when the Yankees brought back both Bellinger and Grisham for 2026, questions about the youngster's future persisted.

Would they trade him despite his value being low? Would they start him in Triple-A so he can work on his defense and right-handed hitting? Or would they carry him as the fourth outfielder. It seems Dominguez is destined for Scranton at the beginning of 2026, which is pretty deflating for just about everyone involved.

The good news is that Dominguez is not fazed by any of this. He understands the gravity of the situation, and fans should be impressed with his response to it all at spring training on Sunday.

Jasson Dominguez responds to Yankees rumors and accepts 2026 challenge

The book is far from closed on Dominguez, but most will admit the days of "The Martian" are long gone (or will need a miracle to be resurrected). There is no doubt he has a future ahead of him (he just turned 23 years old), but he's unlikely to be a world-beating franchise cornerstone talent like Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson, Junior Caminero, Jackson Chourio, and the many others who have taken MLB by storm over the last few years.

Well, at least that's how the fans feel. Dominguez has the power to rewrite his story. He can show immediate improvements this spring to force the issue regarding his inclusion on the Opening Day roster. He can parlay that into making decisions tough for Aaron Boone when the manager is crafting the lineup daily. He can step up if somebody were to go down with an injury and never look back.

Whatever the result, at this very moment, we can at least take solace in the fact Dominguez has the right attitude, and that's the first step for any young player to forge a new path forward. Let all the Red Sox fans talk their trash about the hype Dominguez received. We're over it. It no longer matters. (And we won't forget how Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer are very much on their own path to being busts, too.)

The best way to put all of that to rest is for Dominguez to become a contributing fixture on the MLB roster — something that remains well within reach for the kid who received 429 plate appearances and delivered solid results in 2025.