Source: Yankees to promote prospects Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells
Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez during spring training in Tampa on Feb. 14. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
DETROIT – There will be, perhaps appropriately, a Martian landing in Houston this weekend.
The Yankees plan to promote two of their top position prospects – headlined by Jasson Dominguez, aka “The Martian” – in time for the three-game series against the Astros, which begins Friday at Minute Maid Park. Catching prospect Austin Wells will join Dominguez in Houston, a source confirmed.
The moves, not yet official, were wholly expected if not predictable.
The Yankees, cemented in last place in the American League East, started their youth movement to end the season early last week with the promotions of Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza to the majors. They promoted Dominguez, 20, at the same time to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the switch-hitting outfielder immediately caught fire, hitting .419 with a 1.095 OPS in nine games.
The 24-year-old Wells, whose bat rival scouts mostly see as big-league caliber but aren’t sure if his future is behind the plate because of questions about his defensive abilities, was hitting .254 with an .801 OPS in 33 games with Scranton.
Austin Wells of the Yankees bats during a spring training game against the Pirates on March 18, 2022, at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. Credit: Getty Images/New York Yankees
All of the promotions serve the purpose of giving players the Yankees hope will be a part of their 2024 roster, and beyond, a taste of the big leagues. The promotions also serve the dual purpose of distracting fans, for at least the final month, from the train wreck of a big-league season they’ve witnessed.
“I’m in the camp of that I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league,” Aaron Boone said of Dominguez over the weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla. “He’s a really special talent. After getting off to a little bit of a slow start this year in Double-A, he’s really played well over the last few months. Obviously, he impacts the ball and is athletic and can run. But I like the fact that, at a very young age, he really controls the strike zone. Hopefully that’s something that when he does get up here, it will really be something that serves him well.”
Dominguez, tagged with “The Martian” nickname almost from the time the Yankees gave him a franchise-record $5.1 million signing bonus at the age of 16 out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019, has been called “an anomaly” by general manager Brian Cashman.
Expect to see Dominguez in center Friday in Houston, taking the spot of Harrison Bader, who was placed on waivers Tuesday, according to multiple sources.
Bader saw that news, first reported by Newsday, he estimated some 10-15 minutes before first-pitch here Tuesday night, shortly after sitting down at a table in the visiting clubhouse’s kitchen at Comerica Park and glanced up at the TV.
He had one initial thought.
“What does waivers mean?” the 29-year-old, a free agent after the season, said with a smile late Tuesday night.
The Yankees' Harrison Bader reacts after he flied out against the Nationals to end an MLB game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It essentially means Bader, who was also in the lineup Wednesday night, is highly likely, though not guaranteed, to finish the season elsewhere, probably with a contending team.
Interested clubs have until 2 p.m. Thursday to put in a claim. Claims are awarded in reverse order of a team’s winning percentage as of Thursday. So hypothetically, if the Dodgers (82-49), Rays (82-52), Brewers (74-59), Giants (69-64), Twins (69-65) and Marlins (66-67) all put in claims, the Marlins would be awarded the player.
To be eligible for a postseason roster spot, a player must be in an organization before midnight Thursday.
Any team claiming Bader would owe him the remaining $758,065 of his $4.7 million salary, according to the Associated Press.
The Yankees will receive nothing in the way of compensation except salary relief should another team claim Bader, whom the Yankees received bites on at this year’s trade deadline but chose not to move. If he goes unclaimed, which seems unlikely, they could keep him on the big-league roster the rest of the way.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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