The New York Yankees have promoted outfield prospect Jasson Domínguez to the majors as rosters expand from 26 to 28 players, the team announced Friday. Domínguez, a 20-year-old switch hitter, was only recently promoted to Triple-A. Coming into Wednesday, he had appeared in eight games and batted .444/.531/.593 with three extra-base hits and two more walks than strikeouts. (He recorded three hits in his Triple-A debut.)
Previously, he had hit .254/.367/.414 with 15 home runs and 37 stolen bases in Double-A. When he makes his MLB debut, Domínguez will be the youngest Yankee since Melky Cabrera in 2005.
On Friday, for that debut, he'll hit fifth and start in center field.
Domínguez, of course, has been on the national radar since signing with the Yankees for more than $5 million in 2019. His "Martian" nickname stems from the explosive athletic traits he displayed as a youngster. While some of the comparisons cast upon him at a young age have proven to be overzealous, he nevertheless appears to be closing in on having a legitimate big-league career -- perhaps even with an earlier-than-expected arrival date.
The Yankees, for their part, are in the late stages of a miserable season. They enter Wednesday more than four games back of the fourth-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East. The Yankees have not finished in last place in their division since 1990. Predictably, the Yankees have started to give auditions to some of their younger players, including Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira.
More of a youth movement is on the way, beyond Domínguez. Austin Wells was also promoted to the majors on Friday, when he'll hit seventh and catch Carlos Rodón. CBS Sports recently analyzed Wells' game in greater detail elsewhere.