Yankees’ Brian Cashman Attempts To Quell Furor Over Top Prospect

The New York Yankees apparently have more faith in left fielder Alex Verdugo than their fanbase.

Amid criticism for the team’s reluctance to promote Jasson Dominguez, the top prospect in the organization who was heating up in the weeks leading up to the Sept. 1 roster expansion date around MLB.

In 11 Triple-A games following his last major league appearance on Aug. 18, the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect was hitting .362 (17 for 47) with two home runs, two doubles, one triple, and only six strikeouts. The Yankees promoted journeyman outfielder Duke Ellis instead.

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Ellis, a 26-year-old playing for his third organization this season, has appeared in just two games and collected only one at-bat (and one hit) since his promotion.

Ellis’ limited workload behind Verdugo, the Yankees’ starting left fielder, is precisely what Cashman was hoping to avoid for Dominguez. And neither player was going to displace Verdugo, who entered Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs batting 14-for-41 (.341) with a .796 OPS over his last 11 games.

“I think (Verdugo)’s playing good baseball right now,” Cashman told reporters, including Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “He’s playing much better than he had been. It just comes down to, is that the best route to go? That’s how we’ve got it set up currently.”

The Yankees began the day Friday a half-game behind the Baltimore Orioles (81-60) for first place in the American League East. Baltimore plays the Tampa Bay Rays later in the day.

Verdugo, 28, has had a poor season overall, slashing .235/.293/.359 in 510 at-bats. Those overall numbers make any amount of playing time for Verdugo a tough sell for Yankee fans impatient to see the team reclaim the AL East after missing the postseason entirely a year ago.

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Cashman preached no such hesitation.

“The evaluations that we’re having with our field staff and player development staff, front office staff, is just what is going to give us the best chance to win,” he said. “As of right now, we’re staying pat with what we’ve got.”

Dominguez spent the beginning of the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery performed last September. In 41 Triple-A games since returning, Dominguez is slashing .313/.371/.497 overall.

However, he’ll apparently continue to terrorize International League pitching so long as Verdugo is healthy.

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