MLB teams like to invite their top prospects to spring training to help them get their feet wet and have them face big league-caliber pitching in a controlled, low-pressure environment.
This is especially true if these prospects are relatively close to the majors.
The New York Yankees did it this year with Jasson Dominguez, Oswald Peraza, and Anthony Volpe.
Despite a strong spring, they reassigned Dominguez to minor league camp, as he won’t make the team.
#Yankees announce that following tonight’s game, they assigned OF Jasson DomÃnguez to minor league camp.
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) March 17, 2023
Don’t worry, he was never expected to make the team, as he has barely played in Double-A.
Next spring should be his moment to break camp with the team, if he hasn’t forced his way into their plans before that.
The three aforementioned Yanks’ prospects are all in different stages of their development.
Peraza is a finished product and is expected to handle shortstop for the Yankees this season.
Dominguez is at least a few months away, perhaps a full year, but he projects as a star.
Volpe is the one who is in limbo: he has mastered Double-A and despite his torrid spring so far, he is yet to ace Triple-A.
The team still hasn’t decided where he will start the year or if he will make the team.
As for Dominguez, he will likely be assigned to Double-A after mastering Low-A (.813 OPS) and High-A (.906) last year.
He struggled a bit in a handful of Double-A games last season, so he will be given another crack at the level.
If his spring performance is any indication (four homers, 1.565 OPS), he is in excellent shape and should be in Triple-A at some point this season.
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