Yankees insider's Jasson Dominguez September prediction still leaves fans frustrated

Get ready, New York Yankees fans! Rosters are set to expand on Sunday, Sept. 1. Well, be "ready," but don't be steeped with anticipation. The team's moves have already been telegraphed, and in a rather uninspiring manner.

With the bullpen in need of some help, the Yankees are probably going to give reliever Scott Effross the call. He's been at Triple-A during the month of August since recovering from Tommy John, as well as offseason back surgery. He hasn't pitched since the tail end of 2022, so the Yankees took a cautious approach to ensure he was ready and up to speed.

As for the other roster spot? That's probably going to Jasson Dominguez, who also underwent Tommy John surgery and had his 2024 impacted. Had he not suffered an elbow injury in September of last year, he would've been an everyday starter for the Bombers and Alex Verdugo wouldn't be here.

So, with Verdugo and Trent Grisham in the fold, the Yankees have used that as an excuse to let Dominguez essentially waste away at Triple-A after his rehab assignment. The good news is that he'll be where he belongs come Sunday.

The bad news? Yankees insiders have already made it clear that he will not be interrupting the status quo in the outfield. Ah, yes, top prospects wasting away on the Yankees' bench. A tale as old as time.

Yankees insider's Jasson Dominguez September prediction still leaves fans frustrated

Here's what we heard this past week from Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch:

"Is there a path to everyday at-bats now for Domínguez? Well, no. But even in a reserve role, having Domínguez should be a helpful boost for the Yankees for the stretch run ... The opportunities Domínguez does get are likely to come at the expense of Verdugo, a left-handed hitter who has struggled more against lefties (.608 OPS) than righties in what has been a down season overall."

That was followed by a quote from manager Aaron Boone falsifying Verdugo's impact and success with the Yankees, which you can read at the bottom of that article because we're absolutely not going to burn our eyes while copy and pasting it.

The fact of the matter is this: the Yankees are now purposefully holding back Dominguez to prioritize reps for veterans who no longer deserve them, as evidenced by their performance in 2024. There's also the reality that keeping Dominguez down allows the Yankees to retain his rookie eligiblity for 2025. If that happens and Dominguez were to win AL Rookie of the Year, the Yankees would be granted an extra draft pick for 2026. As you can see, there are other factors at play.

Brian Cashman's been saying for months that there isn't a lane for Dominguez to capture consistent starting reps. While we disagree, now that it's coming from the team's reporters, we can safely prepare ourselves to be let down by his September usage.