The New York Yankees have been inconsistent in building homegrown stars for years. The recent handling of their touted outfield prospects is just another example of this phenomenon. Once seen as the franchise’s future cornerstones, Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones now find themselves at the center of the Yankees’ longtime problem.
It wasn’t long ago that Domínguez was drawing comparisons to a hybrid of Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout. His out-of-this-world talent earned him the nickname “The Martian.”
Spencer Jones drew comparisons to a left-handed Aaron Judge with his power. The two made up a dynamic duo that fans had been clamoring for as the Yankees chased a World Series title.
For years, the blueprint in the Bronx was clear: Domínguez and Jones were the crown jewels in the farm system that would patrol the outfield for years to come. Now, this vision has stalled due to several issues ranging from inconsistent opportunities to questionable roster decisions.
This isn’t the first time the organization has failed to develop top prospects, which raises the question of what went wrong when developing Domínguez and Jones.
Yankees Have Given Little Opportunity to Jasson Domínguez
The Yankees have failed Domínguez by never giving him a real opportunity. They have shuffled his position, prioritized veteran players, and never given him a consistent stretch of chances.
It wasn’t supposed to unfold this way. Domínguez burst on the scene in 2023 when, in his first at-bat, he clubbed a home run against Justin Verlander. The 20-year-old at the time was showing fans that the aforementioned comparisons were correct, but then it all came crashing down. After just eight games, the Martian suffered a right UCL tear that ended his season.
When he returned in August of 2024, the Yankees couldn’t find a place for Domínguez to play because Alex Verdugo was playing left field. Verdugo was having one of his worst offensive seasons, posting just an 84 OPS+ that year. Two years later, Verdugo isn’t even in the league anymore. The team chose a short-term solution and still played Verdugo over Domínguez for the rest of the year despite the offensive shortcomings.
In 2025, it got even worse. After acquiring former MVP Cody Bellinger and with Trent Grisham having a breakout year, there wasn’t much room for Domínguez to play. It wasn’t until Aaron Judge started DH’ing for the remaining few months that he would get regular playing time.
Jasson Domiguez’s 2026 Season
Domínguez opened this season in Triple-A before the Yankees called him up a month later to serve as a fourth outfielder. Sitting on the bench won’t help any young player develop. With his defense being lackluster since the positional change, the Yankees treated him more as a bench piece.
The Yankees increased his playing time when Aaron Judge got injured, but his season overall has been below average, and the power he once touted hasn’t shown.
He was never going to be the next Mantle or Trout, but the Yankees did a lot more bad than good when developing Domínguez.
Spencer Jones Is Stuck in Triple-A
Spencer Jones, like Domínguez, had no place to play until this year. They both suffer from similar fates of being big-time players stalling their future. Jones suffers the worst from this as Judge has blocked the lefty slugger from getting to the majors.
Jones had done everything he could in the minors to justify a chance to play. In 2025, between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit 35 home runs and stole 29 bases. His power-speed combo while being 6-foot-7 is a sight fans don’t see very often. But despite these impressive numbers, there was no place for Jones to play.
It wasn’t until May of this year that the Yankees made the call for the lefty slugger to make his debut, which, unfortunately, was against Jacob Misiorowski.
In his first MLB stint, Jones played just 10 games. Then he got called back up again and performed much better. In 59 plate appearances, Jones hit .250 with two homers and a wRC+ of 121.
As the Yankees battled injuries, the offense went dormant. So, in classic Yankee fashion, they sent Spencer Jones back down to Triple-A. The team keeps looking elsewhere instead of giving the slugger a chance.
However, with Bellinger going down with a hamstring injury in Saturday’s game, Jones gets his next chance in the big leagues.
Jones and Domínguez Never Were Part of the Yankees’ Future
The Yankees clearly never viewed Domínguez or Jones as the future despite what they said in the past. Their win-now moniker kept both of them from getting a chance. Each year the Yankees go all-in on putting a championship-caliber roster on the field, which both Domínguez and Jones were never going to be a part of.
Realistically, where would they have fit in when the team has had an outfield that has Judge, Grisham, and Bellinger for the past two years? Going into the future, the team doesn’t seem to believe there will be a spot either.
“Envisioning Domínguez’s future with the Yankees is difficult,” The Athletic wrote. “Trent Grisham will be a free agent after this season, but even if he departs, the Yankees don’t believe in Domínguez’s ability in center field… So where does Domínguez fit? He may never be passable defensively, and his bat has been disappointing.”
The same probably goes for Jones as well. With positions being blocked, the clock is ticking on him to be the next big slugger in the Bronx. The front office could and should have struck when the iron was hot and traded them to help build a championship roster in the past. The team gave them no chance to prove themselves, so why keep them here?
Failing to Capitalize on Domínguez and Jones
There was a time when these two players were considered untouchable by the Yankee front office. They refused to include either in deals for MLB-proven stars for the past half-decade. Instead, they hug top prospects hoping they pan out. This isn’t a new philosophy, as it’s been happening for the past decade.
When Anthony Volpe was the top prospect, the Yankees were reluctant to move him for Matt Olson back in 2022, per Jon Heyman. Now look at those players today: Olson was an All-Star this year, and Volpe is a below-average hitter. The Yankees should always choose proven talent over unproven potential.
There have been countless times this scenario has happened just in the past decade. Greg Bird, Miguel Andujar, Clint Frazier, and Oswald Peraza were all once top prospects and viewed as the future. None of them panned out as envisioned, and the Yankees ultimately got nothing in return.
This same mistake seems to be repeating itself with Domínguez and Jones. Holding onto them without a clear path to the majors has caused two of the biggest Yankee prospects to lose much of the value that made them untouchable.
Domínguez and Jones Have Lost Their Value
The Yankees pushed all their chips in the center of the table hoping that the two baby bombers would pan out to be better than the potential superstars they could have acquired. With the way past teams have been constructed, inconsistent playing time has stalled their development. Now their value has plummeted.
Francys Romero reported that the two will be key pieces used during the trade deadline. The Yankees need to address several roster holes, such as a right-handed catcher, high-leverage reliever and possible middle infielder. The influx of outfielders pushes the two out of the Yankees’ future, which puts them on the trade block.
The Yankees once called Domínguez and Jones untouchable, only to limit their opportunities and watch their value decline. They are the latest examples of an everlasting issue that needs to be addressed from within the Yankees system.
Until it is, this cycle of holding top prospects is going to keep hurting the Yankees as they chase their 28th championship.
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