Jasson Dominguez made his much-anticipated return to the Big Apple Monday night and impacted a Yankees win. Do you think he’ll be a prominent performer come the postseason?

Jasson Dominguez, OF, Yankees: The Yankees’ called up Jasson Dominguez on Monday, ending weeks of speculation of when he would arrive to provide a boost to the offense. And in his first game, Dominguez did just that. It wasn’t an exceptional day, but Dominguez singled and advanced to second on a ground out. He then stole third and came home when Salvador Perez’s errant throw on the stolen base. It was the Yankees’ first run of the game and started their comeback in the Yankees’ 10-4 win over the Royals. Dominguez batted sixth while playing center field.

The No. 6 overall prospect in the game, Dominguez previously appeared in one big league game this season when New York played in the Little League Classic, when the teams were allowed an extra player due to the game being played at a neutral site. As our Matt Eddy detailed, Dominguez’s lack of a callup on Sept. 1 was not related to the Prospect Promotion Incentive. The outfielder’s extended time on the big league injured list put the kibosh on his PPI eligibility. Dominguez made a big splash when he was initially summoned in 2023. Now, with his team in the thick of a pennant race, he’ll get a chance to prove his mettle once more under pressurized circumstances.

Joey Cantillo, LHP, Guardians: Cantillo carried a perfect game into the seventh inning as he picked up his first MLB win. Cantillo retired the first 20 White Sox he faced before Andrew Benintendi singled. Andrew Vaughn drove in Benintendi with another single to spoil Cantillo’s shutout. But Cantillo was still exceptional. He struck out 10, walked no one and allowed that lone run in seven innings of work. Cantillo’s control and command were excellent. His 66% strike percentage was the best of any of his five MLB starts. Cantillo had struggled early in his MLB career, but Monday night’s gem lowered his ERA to 5.96.

Prospect Promotions/Callups

Brice Matthews, SS/3B, Astros: The Astros promoted 2023 first-rounder Brice Matthews to Triple-A Corpus Christi on Monday. Matthews began the season with High-A Asheville and earned promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi on June 1. Over 42 games with the Hooks, Matthews has hit .252/.376/.497 with nine home runs and 16 stolen bases. Matthews has shown some swing-and-miss tendencies, but has shown improvement in this regard over the past month. He’s hitting .283/.433/.585 with a 26.9% strikeout rate and a 16.4% walk rate since Aug. 1. Matthews is among a group of players that could be considered the Astros’ top prospect heading into the offseason. Matthews is an exciting player with above-average power and speed and elite on-base skills that offset some of his swing and miss.

Kumar Rocker, RHP, Rangers: Rangers 2022 first-round pick Kumar Rocker will make his major league debut on Thursday in Seattle. The righthander has experienced a renaissance in 2024 after returning from Tommy John surgery this summer. Rocker has dominated since returning to Double-A on July 26, pitching well enough to earn a promotion to Triple-A on Aug. 28. Over seven starts spanning 29.2 innings, Rocker has allowed just three earned runs and 13 hits. Rocker’s command and strikeout stuff has been present, striking out 47 batters to just four walks. Rocker’s stuff is noticeably back to his peak college form, mixing a plus-plus slider with a fastball that sits 97-99 mph. Rocker will join former Vanderbilt teammate Jack Leiter in the Rangers’ rotation. Rocker ranked No. 30 in the most recent update to the Top 100 Prospects list.

Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins: The Twins promoted top prospect Walker Jenkins to Double-A Wichita on Monday. After an injury-plagued start to 2024, the outfielder has been hot since his promotion to High-A on July 30. Over 34 games with Cedar Rapids Jenkins has hit .290/.382/.481 with three home runs and eight stolen bases. With the High-A season coming to a close on Sunday, Jenkins will finish out the final few weeks of the season with the Wind Surge. Ranking No. 7 on the most recently updated Top 100 list, Jenkins has put together an encouraging second half in 2024.

BA POLL

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Payton Eeles, 2B, Twins: Eeles was a super senior in 2023 who had been a regular for five seasons (including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). As a 23-year-old, he went undrafted and signed with the American Association’s Chicago Dogs. He began the 2024 season with the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, but the Twins quickly signed him, and he has rocketed through three levels. A promotion to Triple-A St. Paul hasn’t slowed him down at all, and he’s hitting .308/.436/.486 with 34 steals, 17 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs and nearly as many walks (57) as strikeouts (58). That isn’t all that surprising when you consider that Eeles has a solid approach and a very tiny strike zone (he’s 5-foot-5). At this time last year, Eeles couldn’t find an affiliated team that would sign him. Now he’s a versatile utility infielder who ranks fourth in the minors in on-base percentage.

In Case You Missed It

Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper first said in late August he believed Dominguez had a good case to be New York’s starting left fielder in October.