YES Network announcer and ESPN radio host, Michael Kay, has found himself in the news this week for a not-so-good reason. He’s trying to flip the narrative by getting Yankees fans excited about an eventual promotion for outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez.
The Yankees entered Friday having won two games in a row. They’re also kicking off a series against the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East basement. New York has been ravaged by injuries. However, the bottom of their outfield depth chart is a mess. That’ll happen when Aaron Hicks and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are there, contributing next-to-nothing on offense.
Dominguez impressed during Grapefruit League action this spring, hitting .455/.520/1.045 with four home runs and nine RBI in 22 at-bats. But still, there was just about no way he’d join Anthony Volpe on New York’s Opening Day roster in the Bronx. He began his 2023 campaign in Double-A. According to Michael Kay, though, “The Martian” could possibly make landfall in the big leagues at some point this year.
Here's the Q&A pic.twitter.com/l9juCpUFjf
— The Michael Kay Show (@TMKSESPN) May 5, 2023
Dominguez’s season-long stats so far in Somerset don’t look great. Through 59 at-bats, he’s hitting .153/.393/.322 with two homers and seven RBI. However, he is walking a lot (22 heading into Friday) and he already has 10 steals. Dominguez is at least still finding ways to contribute while waiting for his bat to heat up.
For people who want any excuse to get rid of Hicks and IKF immediately, it’s likely still going to take a while for Dominguez. If the Yankees do seriously consider promoting him to the majors, they’ll want him to go on some kind of hot streak at the plate first. This way, he can hopefully ride that wave into the Bronx, whenever the time should come.
However, the mere fact that it’s a possibility should be exciting. And even though it seems like it’ll be a while, all it takes is one tear at the plate to start changing the minds of people who make these decisions.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
