Latest news with #JassonDominguez
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees make big change to leadoff man — rookie outfielder gets a promotion
There's a certain kind of silence that settles over Yankee Stadium when the bats go cold. Not just quiet—unsettling. Like the stillness before a storm, it's loaded with tension, worry, and the fading echoes of missed chances. Advertisement The New York Yankees have found themselves frozen in that silence, trapped in a brutal offensive skid that's seen them lose four straight games while scoring a mere four runs combined. Even for a team built on power and legacy, one run a game won't get you far—no matter how dominant the pitching looks. Boone bets on change to break the funk With urgency mounting, Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to rewrite the script ahead of Tuesday's game. Desperate times call for bold choices, and Boone shuffled his lineup like a gambler chasing a hot hand. For the first time this season, rookie Jasson Domínguez leads off. It's not an obvious move—the young outfielder has been slumping himself, hitting just .200/.200/.240 over the last week. But when the entire offense is stuck in neutral, sometimes the spark has to come from somewhere unexpected. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Anthony Volpe, who had been batting atop the order most of the year, finds himself dropped to the eighth spot. It's a clear message: recent production matters more than name recognition. Jasson Domínguez gets his moment under the lights Nicknamed 'The Martian' for his otherworldly talent, Domínguez has shown flashes this season, with six home runs and nine stolen bases contributing to a 102 wRC+. Advertisement He hasn't been red-hot lately, but he brings speed, pop, and the chance to electrify a game with a single swing. He'll face right-hander Kyle Hendricks—no easy task—but it's a perfect setting for Domínguez to reassert himself. Leading off in New York isn't just a role; it's a responsibility. And one that could define his rookie campaign. Veteran core reshuffled behind Domínguez Behind Domínguez, the order has been reshaped to lean on experience. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger hit second and third, respectively—two players with MVP hardware and a wealth of postseason experience. Giancarlo Stanton, fresh off his return from a long-term elbow injury, takes the cleanup spot. It's only his second game back, but Boone is clearly ready to bet on Stanton's power presence. Advertisement When healthy, Stanton can still be a game-changer—an avalanche of offense waiting to happen. The bottom half features Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, Austin Wells, Volpe, and DJ LeMahieu. It's a mix of veterans and young talent, a group still searching for rhythm in a stretch where hits have been harder to find than shade in the desert. Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Cold stretch leaves no margin for error Getting blanked in two straight games is a gut punch for any team, but it stings more when expectations are sky-high. The Yankees weren't built to win with small ball—they were built to mash. And right now, that identity feels lost in translation. Their bats have gone quiet, their approach timid, and the fans' patience is starting to wear thin. Advertisement Even with strong starting pitching and a capable bullpen, the Yankees won't claw out of this funk by eking out one-run games. It's not sustainable, and Boone knows it. That's why the changes aren't just cosmetic—they're critical. All eyes on the spark, not the stats Sometimes in baseball, it's not about who's hot—it's about who's ready. And while Domínguez isn't riding a hitting streak, he represents hope. He's the jolt, the potential lightning in a bottle. Think of it like jump-starting a dead car battery; you don't need everything to work perfectly—you just need the spark to catch. A couple of good at-bats at the top, a Stanton blast in the cleanup spot, and maybe, just maybe, this offense finds its heartbeat again. Advertisement Boone's gambit could flame out. But it might just set the fire this team so desperately needs. Popular reading: Yankees return veteran right-hander from his rehab assignment Related Headlines
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rookie mistake, rough splits may limit Dominguez as Stanton returns
Rookie mistake, rough splits may limit Dominguez as Stanton returns originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With Giancarlo Stanton officially activated, the Yankees' lineup just got a little more crowded. And rookie Jasson Dominguez is the one most likely to feel the squeeze. Advertisement According to USA Today Network's Pete Caldera, Aaron Boone is considering Dominguez for the leadoff spot—but only against right-handers. The numbers make it an easy call. Dominguez is holding his own from the left side, batting .269 with a .353 OBP. But from the right side? He's hitting .172 with a .472 OPS. That's not a platoon split. That's a 'don't ask him to do that' situation. With Stanton back in the DH slot, at-bats get tighter. On days when Dominguez does start, especially against righties, it likely means Trent Grisham is on the bench and Cody Bellinger shifts to center. Dominguez isn't out of the picture, but the matchups just became his calendar. Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer tags out Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez in the seventh inning at Fenway on June 14, 2025.© Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images And speaking of questionable timing, Dominguez didn't do himself any favors over the weekend. Advertisement On Saturday in Boston, he made a rookie mistake that was both costly and avoidable. With two outs and runners on, he wandered off second base, thinking Grisham had struck out. He hadn't. Dominguez was picked off to end the inning. It was the kind of mistake that makes a manager rewatch spring training footage and sigh deeply. Boone's not giving up on him. But this is where development meets accountability. Dominguez is still part of the plan,but now, it's a conditional plan. Hit righties. Play clean. Don't give games away. The Yankees don't need him to be perfect. They just need him to be present—and productive—when his number's called. The tools are there. The leash? A little shorter this week. Advertisement Related: Yankees Fans on Emotional Ride After Sweep, Trade and then Huge Giancarlo Stanton News Related: Pressure to Bench Yankees Rookie Builds After Fenway Blunder This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees in danger of breaking the wrong kind of record
Yankees in danger of breaking the wrong kind of record originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Yankees are in a freefall. It's one that's starting to rewrite the record books in all the wrong ways. Advertisement Tuesday night's 4-0 loss to the Angels was their fifth straight defeat, a season high. But the deeper issue is their offense, which has all but vanished. The Yankees have now been shut out in three consecutive games. That is something that's only happened seven times in franchise history and it hasn't happened nearly a decade. The last time the Yankees were shut out in three straight games was 2016, according to YES Network research. Manager Aaron Boone made a notable change to the lineup Tuesday. He said it was for balance, but at this point they need to do anything to try to jolt the bats. He gave Jasson Dominguez his first start in the leadoff spot this season, the second of his career. But even that move couldn't shake them loose. The Yankees managed just four hits, two off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge reacts after striking out against the Angels on June 17, 2025 at Yankee Stadium. © Brad Penner-Imagn Images Dominguez had another of the hits and Cody Bellinger had the other. Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He's 2-for-19 with 12 strikeouts over this stretch and heard some booing after his final at-bat on Tuesday night. Advertisement The Yankees have now rolled through 29 scoreless innings, a streak is approaching the franchise record of 37, set back in 1908, according to Baseball-Reference's Katie Sharp. This five-game skid, while not historic by itself, brings back echoes of last August, when the Yankees dropped eight in a row—their longest losing streak since 1995. That slide was supposed to be rock bottom. But, here we are after falling into a Fenway Funk, the Yankees brought the bad bats back with them. Still, Boone wasn't panicking. 'We are one of the best offenses in the league and had a tough few days,' he told reporters after the game. 'Maybe pressing a little bit. Advertisement 'Maybe guys are feeling like gotta get something going, but we've got to let it happen. We gotta go out there. Just really focus on having quality at-bats and that will happen.' Boone continued. 'We'll get there, and hopefully tomorrow's that day. ' For a team that started the year looking like a powerhouse, the Bronx is suddenly very, very quiet. Related: Yankees Star Gerrit Cole Shares Sweet Stories From Dad Life and Rehab Related: Aaron Judge Just Broke Vegas And He's Not Even Done Yet This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Hendricks and Angels hand slumping Yankees their 3rd straight shutout, 4-0
NEW YORK — Kyle Hendricks and three relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Los Angeles Angels beat the slumping New York Yankees 4-0 on Tuesday night to hand them their third straight shutout. New York manager Aaron Boone tinkered with his lineup — batting rookie Jasson Domínguez first and dropping Paul Goldschmidt to sixth — but it didn't yield results for the Yankees, who were 0 for 10 with runners on and got just three to second base.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees Make Unexpected Move After Loss to Angels
Yankees Make Unexpected Move After Loss to Angels originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Yankees have the second-best run differential in baseball at +102, but they didn't play to that level against a losing Los Angeles Angels team on Monday night. They not only lost 1-0 in 11 innings at home, but they also left the bases loaded without scoring in the final frame. Advertisement The Yankees have now lost four straight games, as they got swept by the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park over the weekend. They're down to a 2.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East. New York manager Aaron Boone shook up the lineup ahead of Tuesday night's Angels rematch, via the team's social media. New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez (24)Tom Horak-Imagn Images He put outfielder Jasson Dominguez at leadoff for the first time this year. The 22-year-old is slashing .236/.324/.385 with six homers and 26 RBI across 58 games. Fellow outfielders Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger will bat second and third, respectively. The Yankees have scored just five runs in the past five games and have gotten shut out in the last two. They also haven't hit a homer since Judge's 443-foot blast over the Green Monster in Boston on Friday off of star hurler Garrett Crochet. Advertisement Meanwhile, Los Angeles is 1.5 games behind the Texas Rangers for third place in the AL West and 2.5 out of a Wild Card spot. Monday's win was its first over New York this year, and it's losing the season series 3-1. Right-handed pitcher Will Warren (4-3, 4.86 ERA) will start for the Yankees against Angels right-hander Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 5.20 ERA) on Tuesday. Related: Giancarlo Stanton Makes Admission After Yankees' Loss to Angels Related: Aaron Boone's Anthony Volpe Message After Yankees' Loss to Angels This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
