SAN DIEGO - The Yankees came into the stretch run trying to squeeze every last ounce of value out of a shuffled outfield, and Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Padres made the job look even trickier.
A defensive mistake by Jasson Dominguez in the second inning, followed later by Aaron Boone’s admission that he considered pinch-hitting for him in a key spot, put a spotlight on exactly where this roster stands right now: short on certainty and running out of time to sort it out.
New York dropped to 81-62 and now sits four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East. The Yankees’ cushion over Boston for the American League’s top wild-card spot is down to 2 1/2 games with 19 games left, which means every lineup call is starting to carry October weight.
The loss also opened in brutal fashion. The Yankees were down 3-0 before they recorded an out after Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, and Manny Machado went back-to-back-to-back on Gerrit Cole in the bottom of the first. New York clawed back within a run, but that rally never quite got all the way home.
Dominguez’s night was the kind that keeps a manager thinking. In the second inning, Dustin Harris hit a single to right field that skipped past him and rolled into an error, letting Harris move all the way to third. Cole managed to escape the inning anyway, with Xander Bogaerts grounding out, Ethan Salas striking out, and Tatis popping out.
Boone didn’t dance around it afterward.
“Obviously, a play you have to make. Didn’t make it.” Boone said.
The play didn’t end up costing a run, but it still mattered. Harris was credited with a single and two extra bases on the error, and the Yankees had to pitch with a runner in scoring position without giving up another hit. Luis Campusano’s seventh-inning homer, not the second-inning miscue, delivered the winning run.
Dominguez’s bat also became part of the late-game discussion. He finished 1-for-4, and in the eighth inning Boone thought about going to Heliot Ramos after the Yankees had trimmed San Diego’s lead to 4-3.
That rally came against left-hander Adrian Morejón. Cody Bellinger singled on an infield hit, Paul Goldschmidt walked, Spencer Jones drove in a run with a double, and Amed Rosario followed with another infield hit. Morejón then committed a throwing error that allowed two more runs to score.
Boone said he weighed the switch because Mason Miller was warming in the bullpen, but he didn’t love the idea of handing the Padres a different matchup. He also said he didn’t necessarily think San Diego would have turned to Miller against Ramos. In the end, he stayed with Dominguez.
“I was kind of taking my shot there, but I did consider it.” Boone said.
Dominguez then lined out to end the inning.
For the Yankees, the larger problem is obvious. They’re juggling outfield pieces with Trent Grisham on the injured list and Aaron Judge still not back, and the club needs answers now, not later. Dominguez returned on September 5 after Grisham landed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, a move that followed Dominguez’s August 3 demotion.
Before Sunday, Dominguez had 46 hits in 201 at-bats with six home runs and 14 RBIs in 54 games. After going 1-for-4, he was at 47 hits in 205 at-bats, a .229 average, through 55 games.
His 2025 line remains stronger overall - a .257 average with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in 123 games - which is why the Yankees keep giving him chances. It just doesn’t answer the question of where he fits right now.
Jones has taken over in center field, while Bellinger, Dominguez, and Ramos give Boone other choices. Judge’s return would add another regular into the mix. Dominguez could stick around as depth, lose playing time, or get optioned, though the Yankees have not announced any such move.
Cole worked seven innings, giving up six hits and four runs while walking none and striking out three. Michael King got the win for San Diego with six scoreless innings, and Miller finished things off with a 33rd save after striking out the side in the ninth around a walk.
The Yankees finished their trip through Anaheim and San Diego at 3-3 and had Monday off before starting a six-game homestand against Colorado on Tuesday, then the Mets. Judge was expected to face live pitching at Yankee Stadium on Monday as he works back from a right rib stress fracture, but Boone had not committed to activating him for Tuesday. Grisham remained on the injured list, with no confirmed return timetable in the material available through September 7.
For now, Dominguez is still in the middle of the conversation - and Boone’s comments made clear that every mistake, and every late-inning at-bat, is being judged like it matters.
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