This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch¡¯s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK -- Jasson Domínguez shrugged, offering a wan smile. The Yankees¡¯ top prospect stood in the visiting clubhouse of Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., last month, crossing yet another Minor League park on his travelogue as he made a one-day cameo as a big leaguer for the Little League Classic.

What, Dom¨ªnguez was asked, did he think of general manager Brian Cashman¡¯s recent comments about there being ¡°no lane¡± for Dom¨ªnguez to stick in the Majors?

¡°I don¡¯t have any thoughts about that, really, because that¡¯s a thing that I can¡¯t control,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said. ¡°So it is what it is. I just focus on playing and doing my job. That part is not my job.¡±

At the time, it seemed a lock that The Martian¡¯s return could be marked on the calendar, with rosters expanding from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1. Yet that date passed with Dom¨ªnguez remaining in the Minors, as the 21-year-old was not included among the Bombers¡¯ flurry of roster moves on Sunday.

A roster spot that could have been used to promote the switch-hitting Dom¨ªnguez was instead filled by Duke Ellis, a speedy outfielder claimed off waivers from the Mariners on Aug. 27.

¡°He will remain in the conversation moving forward,¡± manager Aaron Boone said of Dom¨ªnguez. ¡°When he comes up here, we¡¯re going to want to play him every day, so he¡¯ll continue to remain in the conversation.¡±

As Boone indicated, Dom¨ªnguez can still be promoted at any time this month -- because he is on the 40-man roster, he can help the club in their efforts to secure a playoff spot and would be eligible to participate in the postseason.

But as Boone and Cashman have both said, they do not intend to bring up Dom¨ªnguez unless he can play regularly, hence Cashman¡¯s comment about there being ¡°no lane.¡± As Cashman told MLB Network Radio last month, ¡°It¡¯s nice to know he¡¯s there. He¡¯s just knocking rust off and waiting for his opportunity if it comes.¡±

More pointedly, they are not prepared to offer Dom¨ªnguez at-bats if it means sitting left fielder Alex Verdugo, though that call deserves examination.

Verdugo had two hits in Sunday¡¯s 14-7 loss to the Cardinals and is 11-for-30 with two extra-base hits in his last eight games. Since June 15, however, Verdugo has batted just .202 (49-for-243) with a .547 OPS. Boone said that Verdugo is ¡°capable¡± offensively and that he believes the outfielder has ¡°been a little unlucky this year¡± at the plate.

¡°You scratch underneath and it is in line with what he¡¯s done most of his career, as far as contact quality,¡± Boone said. ¡°He can really defend in left. If he can get it going, talking about [adding] length to the lineup, he certainly can provide that.¡±

Another piece of the behind-the-scenes calculus could involve Dom¨ªnguez¡¯s rookie status. Dom¨ªnguez will retain that status for 2025, provided he does not exceed 130 career at-bats (he has 35 right now). Keeping him a rookie in '25 may permit the Yankees to net a Draft pick after the first round in '26 if Dom¨ªnguez wins the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Award.

That¡¯s a lot of ifs, and as Paul O¡¯Neill noted on Sunday¡¯s YES Network broadcast, there is no guarantee that Dom¨ªnguez will return and rake -- as he did in an all-too-brief taste of The Show last season, including a homer off the Astros¡¯ Justin Verlander on his first big league swing, before requiring season-ending surgery to repair a torn right ulnar collateral ligament.

Though Dom¨ªnguez has hit .307/.367/.490 with nine homers and 28 RBIs in 52 Minor League games this season while rebounding from an oblique strain that cost him more than a month, the Little League Classic didn¡¯t go well.

Batting fifth against the Tigers, Dom¨ªnguez went hitless, though Boone said that was likely due to the ¡°tough draw¡± of going up against AL Cy Young Award contender Tarik Skubal. On defense, Dom¨ªnguez also double-clutched on the game¡¯s final play as the Yanks were walked off.

No matter. The Yankees¡¯ 28-man roster would be better with Dom¨ªnguez, and accordingly, so would their chances of winning championship No. 28.

¡°It was a tough call right now,¡± Boone said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean that doesn¡¯t change in a couple days, a week, two weeks, whatever it is. But it¡¯s important for him to continue to play right now.¡±