The New York Yankees, with a 0.1% chance of making the MLB Playoffs according to Fangraphs, waved the white flag on Tuesday when they put outfielder Harrison Bader on waivers, up-for-grabs for any team that wants him.
Teams that want to make a playoff push are making claims off waivers, not putting players on them. The Yankees have effecitvely told the world they don't believe they will overcome the insurmountable odds to make a push for the postseason.
That's hard for Yankees fans to accept. Trust me, I'm one of them. After decades of winning, the playoffs and a try at the World Series is the expectation every year. In the first year of Aaron Judge's new contract and captaincy, this is not how things were supposed to go.
Instead of a World Series push, the Yankees are likely to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
The next signal they're accepting the finality of their season is that the youngsters are getting big-league playing time. Next up? Outfielder Jasson Dominguez.
Jasson Dominguez gets Yankees call-up: When is his debut?
Jasson Dominguez got his name called to the big leagues for the first time in his career on Wednesday, FanSided's Senior MLB Reporter Robert Murray learned:
Bryan Hoch reported that Dominguez will make his MLB debut on Friday against the Houston Astros. That game is in Texas at Minute Maid Park. Though with the Yankees virtually eliminated from playoff contention the matchup won't bring the same intensity, the two teams have had bad blood for each other the last several seasons after meetings in the postseason that ended in the Astros' favor.
Dominguez has very little Triple-A experience, just 32 plate appearances. The only upside to the Yankees' downright miserable season is that it creates a low-pressure environment for Dominguez to see big-league pitching and get good reps in.
At Double-A, Dominguez slashed .254/.367/.414 this year. In those limited Triple-A bats, he has hit an impressive .444/.531/.593.
Undoubtedly, Dominguez is a candidate to make the big-league roster to open the year next season. It will depend on how he manages this current new challenge in addition to how he handles next year's spring training.
Anthony Volpe started this year on the big-league roster with just about 100 Triple-A plate appearances under his belt. Clearly, New York is ready for the youngsters to play, so long as they prove their readiness and there's a positional need.
