The moment Yankees fans have been waiting years for is finally upon us. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is expected to make his big-league debut when rosters expand on Friday. This is a huge turn of events considering the 20-year-old was just promoted to Triple-A not too long ago.
It’s not like he doesn’t look ready for the challenge, though. Across nine games for Scranton, Jasson Dominguez hit .419/.514/.581 with 10 RBI in 37 plate appearances. This has been part of a more prolonged hot streak, too. Since July 1st (51 games), The Martian is hitting .346/.418/.507 with 15 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 39 RBI, 37 runs scored, and 22 steals in 27 chances.
After a slow start to his 2023 season with Double-A Somerset, he’s ready to rock. And considering where the Yankees are at this point in the calendar, they’re ready to see if he can be part of the squad in 2024. You can only control the schedule so much, but in this particular case, Dominguez is getting tossed right into the fire.
New York will be finishing up a 10-game road trip this weekend. Their final three contests — after finishing up in Detroit on Thursday — will be in Houston against the Astros. Not only will the Bombers be facing the defending champs on the road, but noted Yankee killer Justin Verlander will be on the mound for Houston.
That’s one way to get introduced to Major League Baseball, right?
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JV hasn’t pitched at the same level as last season when he won his third Cy Young Award. But, he’s still been pretty OK. He’s produced a 3.06 ERA in 123.1 innings, which includes a 2.79 mark in five starts since the Mets traded him back to the Astros.
Verlander has been notoriously stingy against the Yankees throughout his career, though. His 3.21 lifetime ERA against New York in 165.1 innings wouldn’t necessarily suggest that, but his ERA between 2022 and 2023 has been under 1.40 in four starts. JV has already faced New York three times this year. It’s led to a 1.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 19 innings.
So, we’ll have a 40-year-old eventual Hall of Famer facing off against a 20-year-old rookie making his big-league debut. That will be fun to watch.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
