Jasson Dominguez joining Yankees again this season is ‘still very much in play’

ARLINGTON, Texas — A day after the Yankees passed on promoting Jasson Dominguez to the big leagues, Aaron Boone reiterated that the decision was not set in stone.

The Yankees manager continued to leave the door open for Dominguez to join the team at some point in September after the organization kept him at Triple-A on Sunday when rosters expanded to 28, a decision that enraged the fan base.

“It’s still very much in play,” Boone said Monday at Globe Life Field. “Just because it didn’t happen on Sept. 1 doesn’t mean it won’t at some point. … That involves some tough decisions there for a guy that hasn’t played a ton yet even at the Triple-A level, let alone a week at the big leagues last year.

“Frankly, there’s probably no one higher on Jasson Dominguez than me. I think he’s going to be a great player in this league. I love the makeup, I love the person. All I can say is he’s very much in the mix right now but we’re not ready to make that move yet.”

The Yankees want Dominguez to be playing every day wherever he is — as a 21-year-old who has missed time this year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and then suffering an oblique strain, entering Monday with 201 career plate appearances across 47 games at Triple-A.

But are not yet ready to open that lane for him in the big leagues.

The most obvious opportunity would be Dominguez taking over left field for Alex Verdugo, who has struggled offensively (though he was hitting better over the past week) but provided mostly strong defense, with Boone saying Monday the veteran should be “in the Gold Glove conversation.”

Asked how Dominguez — a natural center fielder who has played more left field of late to prepare him for a potential promotion — has looked on defense, Boone said, “OK.”

“He’s been alright out there,” Boone said, later adding that Dominguez’s arm was not an issue. “There’s room for improvement out there, no question, but he’s a real athlete in the middle of the diamond.”

Five years after they graduated together from the Delbarton School, Anthony Volpe and Jack Leiter faced each other for the first time in the big leagues on Monday night.

The best friends had faced each other in workouts in the offseason (and during the COVID shutdown in 2020), but shared a significant milestone by squaring off on Monday in Leiter’s fifth career big league start.

“Super meaningful,” Volpe said before the game. “I know how hard he worked throughout everything. We went [on] a little bit different paths, but to always reconvene and have each other to lean on with whatever we’re going through is super special.”

Leiter’s father and former Yankee Al Leiter was expected to be in attendance while Volpe said they would have had a bigger group from back home here if not for the real word.

“A lot of people were trying, but they got work [Tuesday], all of our friends,” he said. “If there was a redeye flight or something, they’d all be here.”

Ian Hamilton, who is rehabbing from a lat strain but was scratched from Friday’s outing due to back spasms, is scheduled to get back in a game on Wednesday or Thursday.