Aaron Boone's Yankees lineup switch hints at possible Jasson Dominguez opportunity

As the Yankees attempt to win their third series in a row, Alex Verdugo -- who's played in 108 of the Yankees' 112 games thus far in 2024 -- will sit out against a right-handed starter.

Occasionally, Aaron Boone has shown a willingness to shield Verdugo from tough left-handers (though the lineup switch hasn't been as regular a part of his repertoire as it probably should be). This time around, Verdugo will ride the pine against Yariel Rodriguez, a rookie Cuban Blue Jays righty.

This lineup swap (Aaron Judge to left, Trent Grisham in center, Verdugo to the bench) surprised Yankees beat writers and fans alike.

So, what gives? Is Boone sending a message after 1.5 months of regressive Verdugo statistics that poor play will not be tolerated, inspired by Gleyber Torres' benching on Friday night (and near-immediate return to the leadoff spot on Sunday, which is ... okay, then)? If so, he picked an odd time to do it, as Verdugo has turned it around and reached a slight uptick over the past week (8-for-31).

As it turns out, there's more at play here, which could force the Yankees' hand a bit moving forward.

Yankees lineup without Alex Verdugo for Blue Jays series finale. Can Jasson Dominguez join?

When asked about Verdugo's absence, Boone only betrayed that the team's starting left fielder is "a little beat up," and would not elaborate, also calling him "alright".

He chose to give him a day on Sunday against a right-hander with reverse splits in his short big-league career thus far. In a vacuum, it's fine if Boone doesn't want to elaborate further, or even wants to continue to give Verdugo a breather after the team's off day on Monday.

After all, there is a ready-made solution at Triple-A (finally) in the form of a recovering Jasson Dominguez, who's gone 4-for-22 with a double and a pair of RBI since returning from a month-and-a-half oblique injury absence.

Dominguez is already back to striking the ball with authority, though not as often as the Yankees would probably like to see. After all, they seem keen on keeping Dominguez in the minors until rosters expand in September (in an ideal world), maintaining his rookie eligibility for next season in the process (potentially netting the team a draft pick if he wins Rookie of the Year).

Ironically, MLB's new system meant to incentivize promotion is probably holding Dominguez back, something the Yankees can manage under the guise of a slow ramp-up from a midsummer injury.

Unless Verdugo is a little bit more than "beat up," we probably won't be seeing Dominguez at the MLB level anytime soon.