Why Yankees shouldn't wait to call up their top prospect

In a season of peaks and valleys, the New York Yankees suffered another tough loss Tuesday, falling 9-5 to the Cleveland Guardians in extra innings.

In the 12-inning defeat, Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo and first baseman DJ LeMahieu combined for no hits in 11 at-bats. Both players have struggled this season at the plate — LeMahieu is hitting .189 while Verdugo, who hit .267 through April, is now batting .230 with only 10 home runs.

The lack of production at the plate from the pair begs the question: Should the Yankees permanently bring up their top prospect , outfielder Jasson Dominguez, who's having a monster season hitting in the minors?

In a 9-4 win Tuesday night for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Domínguez went 4-for-5 and scored three runs.

Despite hitting .305 in Triple-A, Dominguez probably won't be part of the roster until September call-ups because GM Brian Cashman recently said there is "no lane" for him now.

New York sent Dominguez back to the minors after he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in a 3-2 loss Sunday against the Detroit Tigers in the Little League Classic.

"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," Cashman said on MLB Network Radio , per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.

"There's currently no lane for us to bring him in...He's just knocking rust off and waiting for his opportunity if it comes."

Against the Tigers, the Yankees set Dominguez up for failure. He struck out twice against left-hander Tarik Skubal, a Cy Young favorite, and three times overall. In the minors, the 21-year-old outfielder struggles against lefties (.220 BA) but crushes righties (.336).

In a short stint with the Yankees last season, the Dominican-born slugger hit .258 with four home runs and seven RBI in only eight games before suffering a torn UCL.

When rosters expand in September, Dominguez is a no-brainer call-up. But with Verdugo and LeMahieu struggling at the plate, the second-place Yankees — who trail Baltimore by a half-game entering Wednesday's play — should add him to the roster now.