What’s Next for Jasson Dominguez? Yankees Face a Familiar Roster Dilemma
The Yankees’ outfield picture heading into 2026 is crowded-again. With Trent Grisham surprisingly accepting his qualifying offer and Cody Bellinger officially back in the Bronx, the team is staring at a logjam that looks eerily similar to last season.
And right in the middle of it all? Jasson Dominguez, the 22-year-old outfielder whose future remains one of the offseason’s biggest question marks.
Let’s be clear: trading Dominguez right now doesn’t make much sense. His value is low, his ceiling is still high, and moving him for a marginal return-say, a bullpen arm-would be a short-sighted play. Teams aren’t lining up to give up premium assets for a young player still trying to find his footing defensively, and the Yankees know that.
But the alternative being floated-starting Dominguez in Triple-A to open the 2026 season-isn’t exactly sitting well with fans either. That rumor picked up steam on social media after a tweet from @theyanksonly cited Jon Heyman, claiming Dominguez is “likely” to begin the year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The fanbase erupted, accusing the organization of stunting his development and mismanaging yet another top prospect.
Here’s the thing: there’s no actual evidence Heyman said that. A look through his recent articles, appearances, and social media activity turns up nothing to confirm the report. He hasn’t publicly denied it either, but that could simply be a matter of timing-it all started circulating late Thursday night and didn’t really blow up until the early hours of Friday.
What we do have is some public commentary from people close to the situation. Jack Curry of the YES Network recently said on Yankees Hot Stove that the team is still working the trade market for pitching, but emphasized that “Dominguez and Spencer Jones won’t be traded just for the sake of being traded,” even with Bellinger back in the fold. That tells us the organization still sees value in Dominguez, even if they’re not exactly sure where he fits right now.
Manager Aaron Boone also weighed in, making appearances on The Michael Kay Show and WFAN. According to Boone, Dominguez has a spot on the big-league roster.
His reasoning? Dominguez played in over 120 games last season with this very same group.
That should count for something. Still, fans are skeptical, and part of that comes from the mixed messaging.
Michael Kay himself questioned whether Dominguez should be traded or sent down, and that ambiguity has only added fuel to the fire.
So where does that leave us?
Right now, the most likely scenario is that Dominguez opens the season as the Yankees’ fourth outfielder. That gives him a shot to prove himself-especially as a right-handed hitter, which is where the team needs help.
Oddly enough, even though he’s a natural righty, Dominguez has been more productive from the left side. That’s not ideal for a lineup already leaning heavily on lefty bats, but it’s something the coaching staff will be watching closely.
Then there’s the defense. Let’s not sugarcoat it-Dominguez has struggled in the field.
Left field at Yankee Stadium is no joke, and so far, it hasn’t been a fit. But it’s also worth remembering that not every rookie hits the ground running.
The expectations for Dominguez were sky-high, and injuries haven’t helped. He’s still young, still developing, and still trying to carve out a role on a team that’s made that path more complicated than it needed to be.
Injuries and inconsistent playing time defined his 2025 season. And when the Yankees brought in other outfielders and shifted him out of his natural center field spot, it only added to the challenge.
Could he have done more to seize the opportunity? Sure.
But it’s hard to do that when your role is constantly in flux.
So no, there’s no definitive answer yet on whether Dominguez starts the year in Triple-A. But based on what we’re hearing from Boone and Curry, the Yankees still see him as part of their major league plans-at least for now. If something changes, it’ll likely be tied to a bigger move, not a quiet demotion.
Until then, Dominguez remains a player with big-time potential, stuck in a roster crunch that the Yankees created. The talent is still there. Now it’s just a question of whether the organization can finally put him in a position to show it.