Yankees GM explains why a Jasson Domínguez call-up is unlikely: 'There's currently no lane for us'

At 69-49, the New York Yankees enter play Sunday with the American League's second-best record, but also a game behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. Seven weeks remain in the regular season and the AL East is shaping up to be one of the best division races down the stretch. Every game matters for the Yankees and O's.

New York has two of the very best players in baseball in their outfield in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto . Alex Verdugo has been their regular left fielder and he's been OK at best. Verdugo takes a .239/.299/.374 line and 10 homers into Sunday, and it's a .230/.279/.352 line since May 1. To be fair, Verdugo is hitting .315/.381/.426 since July 26, so he's been better of late.

If the Yankees want to make a change in left field, either now or at some point later in the season, they can call up top prospect Jasson Domínguez from Triple-A. Domínguez missed the start of the season while he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery, then after coming back, he almost immediately strained his oblique. He returned from the oblique on July 26 and is in Triple-A.

Although Domínguez, who swatted four homers in eight games in his MLB debut last September, is waiting in the minors, the Yankees have no plans to replace Verdugo, GM Brian Cashman said during an MLB Network Radio appearance Sunday. Here's what Cashman said about Domínguez via The Athletic :

"He's healthy. Ultimately the injuries this year prevented him from getting much of a bulk of performance. He's definitely sitting there waiting in the wings if need be, playing mostly in centerfield -- I think we're going to get him over in left. He's done multiple positions in his career. He's just waiting in the wings. Hungry and waiting to see if he gets his chance. It's nice to know he's available to us if need be. There's currently no lane for us to bring him. It's nice to know he's there. He's just knocking rust off and waiting for his opportunity if it comes."

Because of the injuries, Domínguez has played only 34 games (all in the minors) and gotten only 141 plate appearances this season, and he's not exactly crushing it in Triple-A. He's hitting .163/.234/.209 with 15 strikeouts and 11 games since returning from the oblique injury. Domínguez, who is still only 21, has some rust to knock off, it seems.

The Yankees could summon Domínguez once rosters expand on Sept. 1, though keep in mind teams only get one extra pitcher and one extra position player in September now. New York has a few veteran players nearing a return from injury ( Jon Berti , Anthony Rizzo , etc.) and may need the extra September roster spot for them. Domínguez coming up in September is not a lock.

Judge and Soto aren't going anywhere, and Giancarlo Stanton is healthy at the moment, which means the DH spot is unavailable. Replacing Verdugo is the only way to get Domínguez into the lineup and, frankly, Verdugo has outperformed Domínguez the last two weeks or so. Keeping Domínguez in Triple-A to make up for all the at-bats he's missed this year is perfectly reasonable.

It should also be noted that fourth outfielder Trent Grisham , a superlative defensive center fielder, is hitting .239/.333/.469 with six home runs in 133 plate appearances since June 1. The case can be made that Grisham, not Domínguez, should take playing time away from Verdugo. As it stands, the Yankees are sticking with Verdugo as an everyday player.

Baseball America ranked Domínguez the No. 7 prospect in baseball in their midseason top 100 prospects update . He's a career .309/.372/.455 hitter in 29 games at the Triple-A level. Domínguez played those eight MLB games last September before tearing his UCL and needing Tommy John surgery.