KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Yankees officially announced Wednesday afternoon that they have optioned prospect Jason Dominguez, completing the player’s rehab assignment and keeping the “Martian” at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre indefinitely.
A few hours later, Giancarlo Stanton reminded the major leagues why there is no open position for Dominguez.
The designated hitter continued to show he still has plenty of hitting power, smashing his second major league-caliber home run in a row in an 11-5 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Coming off a disastrous, injury-plagued season in which he batted .191 with a .695 OPS and was a constant liability on the bases and defensively, Stanton needed to come alive with the bat if he was to stave off the Dominguez brothers of the world.
He hit 17 home runs in 61 games, good for the sixth-most in the major leagues at the end of the season.
While his .288 on-base percentage leaves room for improvement, Stanton’s sheer power makes up for it.
“This season has been good,” Stanton said simply about the season, adding that he has placed a lot of emphasis on hitting the ball with runners in scoring position. “You can always get better.”
Last year was even worse, when a hamstring injury kept him out for a month and a half and led to a completely subpar season.
There were questions about whether the multiple injuries he suffered during his time with the Yankees would affect him and whether the 34-year-old could become the powerhouse he once was.
But Stanton showed up to spring training with a slimmer frame, hoping to improve his athleticism and health.
Through the first two and a half months of this season, Stanton hasn’t had the best stats — a .779 OPS — but he’s been solid. And, of course, strong.
On Tuesday, he launched a missile into center field that traveled 446 feet. The next night, he smashed a no-frills ball into left field off Daniel Lynch IV in the fifth inning, sending it three feet deeper.
With Stanton playing DH, a strong outfield and Trent Grisham coming off the bench (a role the Yankees don’t want for the developing Dominguez), there just isn’t a place for the team’s No. 1 prospect.
“He’s a real threat and a real presence in the middle of our lineup,” manager Aaron Boone said of Stanton. “Especially with Juan [Soto] Aaron [Judge] Be careful, because even after you do that, you’ll still have another shock to consider.
“He’s a really good player. He’s made a lot of big hits for us.”
