The New York Yankees have yet to promote top prospect Jasson Dominguez, and it doesn't seem to be a uniform agreement.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the front office is divided on what the Yankees have decided to do with the organization's top prospect.
While general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone continue to display their unbroken loyalty toward a struggling Alex Verdugo, others in the front office don't share the same sentiment.
"The decision to keep the uber talented Dominguez at Triple-A beyond the Sept. 1 roster expansion date confounds many (including some Yankees people). And for most, word that it was made because GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone continue to have faith in Verdugo doesn’t make it very much better," Heyman wrote.
Both Cashman and Boone have reiterated their belief that there is no room for Dominguez on the roster because if the 21-year-old is called up to the Major Leagues, he will be playing every day.
But the only reason they believe there's no room for him is because they have a surprisingly high level of confidence in Verdugo, who has a career-low 83 OPS+ this season.
"Boone mentioned a pre-September “conversation” among Yankees higher-ups about whether to promote Dominguez, and insiders say it was very spirited dialogue, with multiple executives strongly arguing for promotion, obviously unsuccessfully," Heyman wrote.
Part of the issue with the decision to be loyal to Verdugo is the excuses they've made. When Verdugo doesn't run out a roll over to second base — there are a lot of them — Boone says he's "banged up."
If Verdugo can't give some semblance of effort to run 90 feet because he's too banged up, he shouldn't be in the lineup.
The longer the Yankees wait to promote Dominguez, the longer their odds become of making a run.
Maybe Dominguez would struggle as well. Unfortunately, the Yankees won't know because of their loyalty to a player who very likely won't return in free agency.
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