Yankees Elect To Make Surprising September Call-Up Decision

The New York Yankees made a flurry of roster moves to complete their September call-ups and in the process, made the shocking decision to not promote the organization’s No. 1 prospect before embarking on its postseason hunt.

Outfielder Jasson Domínguez wasn’t included in the late-season promotions as the team instead chose to activate first baseman Anthony Rizzo and recall right-handed pitchers Ron Marinacci and Scott Effross along with outfielder Duke Ellis, per team announcement.

Domínguez was recognized as a premier candidate to help bolster New York’s outfield, which aside from All-Stars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, could use some improvement — especially approaching the postseason, which in recent years, hasn’t fared well for the Yankees. New York hasn’t surpassed the American League Championship Series in over a decade, last doing so in 2009.

“(Domínguez was) certainly in the conversation, will remain in the conversation moving forward,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Sunday, per YES Network. “When he comes up here you’re gonna wanna play him every day. So he’ll continue to remain in that conversation. I feel like he’s — over the last couple of weeks — starting to play well from coming back from the oblique injury. Tough call right now, but doesn’t mean that doesn’t change in a couple of days, in a week, in two weeks, whatever it is. But important for him to continue to play right now.”

Boone also clarified that Domínguez is in perfect shape to play every day.

The 21-year-old spent 38 games with New York’s Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, slashing .298/.354/.457 with five home runs, seven doubles and 18 RBIs. Domínguez suffered an oblique in June but has since batted .359 with three home runs, which booked Domínguez as a premier candidate to receive a last-minute promotion with the chance at making a difference for the leaders of the AL East. At least that was the assumption based on several factors including Domínguez’s performance in the minors along with the season-long struggles of Alex Verdugo.

New York acquired Verdugo in a rare offseason trade with the Boston Red Sox, hoping to have a reliable, everyday-worthy outfielder poised for a breakout season. Well… that hasn’t happened. Instead, Verdugo has logged another mediocre campaign, underwent an odd allergy battle with his own batting gloves, and will be playing under the pressure of proving the Yankees correct for the rest of the season. Verdugo slashed .204/.269/.280 with one home run and five RBIs across 24 games in August, making September a much overdue showcasing opportunity for Verdugo.