Jasson Dominguez has turned his Triple-A stint into a case for a return. After his demotion earlier in the year, he has gotten everyday reps, looked better in the field and avoided any egregious lowlights since that first series.
The production has followed. Dominguez is hitting.306 with an.875 OPS at Triple-A, a line that keeps him in the conversation even after a recent 2-for-13 stretch over his last three games. He has also delivered in the clutch multiple times, which matters for a Yankees club trying to sort out where the next bat fits.
That question is sharper now because the Yankees are scheduled to face five straight right-handed starters over their next five games. The Astros will line up Mike Burrows and Spencer Arrighetti in the next two days, and the Rangers are set to follow with Jack Leiter, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. If the club makes a move, Aaron Boone could work Dominguez into a rotation with Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt, a sign that the Yankees are at least weighing how to maximize at-bats rather than simply waiting for one player to force the issue.
Giancarlo Stanton is day-to-day after tightness in his right calf, and that is part of what makes Dominguez's timing so relevant. A healthy Stanton would leave less room to maneuver. A missed stretch would open a door that Dominguez has spent the last few weeks pushing wider with better defense, steadier play and enough offense to keep the decision from getting easy.
The Yankees do not need Dominguez to be perfect to bring him back into the mix. They need him to keep doing exactly what he has been doing in Triple-A, because the next five games may be the point where performance and roster need finally meet.