Yankees' contradictory actions with Jasson Dominguez confirm slugger's spiral

Jasson Dominguez was arguably the hottest hitter on the New York Yankees for a few weeks heading into the July 4 weekend. Not only that, but his defense in left field had been improving — or, at least, he was put in fewer positions to emphasize his glaring weaknesses. Whatever the case, it was a good situation.

Dominguez's four-hit night against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 3 earned him his first start as the team's leadoff hitter in 2025 the next day against the New York Mets. He rewarded the Yankees' faith with two homers and three RBI in a game they should have won (Luke Weaver unfortunately blew another late-inning lead).

How did the Yankee reward Dominguez? He was bumped down to sixth in the lineup the next day, and then he was benched on Sunday. Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe has sat once all year, and that came after the fanbase was about to rage against the machine amid his struggles.

What did this do to Dominguez? He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on the Saturday and his defensive issues stormed back in full force. He looked completely uncomfortable playing left field at Citi Field. What happened after that? His numbers have further plummeted and his defense has been even more unforgivable.

Across 99 games this year, Dominguez is hitting .253 with a .718 OPS and 99 OPS+. Not bad by any means, but definitely not game-changing whatsoever. His -1.2 dWAR canceled out all of his positive offensive contributions.

We truthfully do not know what might've happened if the Yankees handled Dominguez differently, but ever since the middle of the 2024 season it was clear the organization made their stance known — there was little-to-no lane for their former top prospect and, even if there was, he would not be maximized.

Yankees' Jasson Dominguez has continued to see his lane close further this season

If the Yankees were smart, they would have used Dominguez frequently as the leadoff hitter when he was hot. If they were smart, they would have done a better job of making him comfortable at a position he could hardly handle defensively. He was frequently buried in the 6-8 spot in the lineup despite his superior numbers leading off innings (.297/.395/.446 in 86 plate appearances). He hasn't received a single rep in center field this year despite the roster offering that flexibility. The Yankees babied him early in the season by putting in a defensive replacement late in games and then let him flounder as the year progressed and the games got more important, when it probably should have been the opposite. They kept trotting him out there against left-handed pitching every chance they got despite damning evidence to the contrary. They hung him out to dry.

Over his last month of play, Dominguez is hitting .197 with a .531 OPS. He has just two extra-base hits, three RBI and five walks over this 67 plate appearances. He's received just four at-bats since Aug. 8 and, sadly, the Yankees have been better off with Giancarlo Stanton playing the outfield.

Yes, of course, it's partially Dominguez's fault. He has not stepped up. Five of his nine home runs have come in two games this year and 16 of his 37 RBI have come in four games. He has been far from consistent. On the flip side, he's a 22-year-old receiving his first stretch of consistent playing time in MLB, and the Yankees have let him down by not playing him enough last year and then incorrectly overusing him (and not maximizing him) this year.

And there are people wondering why Yankees fans never trust prospects? Part of it is the inferior talent, but the glaring issue is the poor development and lack of guidance.