Boom or bust? Checking in on MLB's rising stars at season's midway point

Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees

Dominguez has been solid for the Yankees so far. He's only 22 and getting his first real shot at extended time in the bigs. It's easy to fly under the radar on a team with as much talent as the Yanks, but that doesn't mean Dominguez isn't producing.

Before the season, manager Aaron Boone said he wanted Dominguez to earn the left field spot, and he has. He's played more than 400 innings in left and has not committed an error.

At the plate, he has a .709 OPS alongside six home runs. Dominguez turned heads on May 9 when he went 3-for-5 with three home runs and seven RBI in a win over the Athletics. It made him the youngest Yankee ever to hit three homers in a game.

Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals

Winn is the future of the Cardinals. His defense at shortstop will put him in the Gold Glove conversation on an annual basis. This season, he has appeared in 68 games, and although some of his offensive numbers have dipped slightly, he has been on a hot streak lately.

In his last five games entering Wednesday, Winn has six hits, two doubles, a home run and six RBI. He's a key reason why the Cardinals are creeping up on the Cubs for first place in the NL Central.

Jackson Holliday, 2B, Baltimore Orioles

All is not well in Baltimore as the Orioles struggle, but Holliday has shown improvement after a largely disappointing 60-game rookie campaign in 2024. 

The 2022 first-overall draft pick said he was confident entering the season, and he has the numbers to support that claim. After tallying 36 hits in 60 games last season, he's already amassed 73 in 72 games this year. He's slashing a respectable .262/.311/.416, which is a higher batting average than Winn, a higher on-base percentage than Crow-Armstrong, and a higher slugging percentage than Dominguez.

Roki Sasaki, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Despite the hype surrounding Sasaki's arrival from Japan, there's little to report so far, as a right shoulder impingement has landed him on the 60-day injured list.

He's made eight starts this season, going 1-1 with 24 strikeouts, 22 walks and a 4.72 ERA. He hasn't pitched since May 9, and on June 16, the Dodgers announced that Sasaki had been shut down from throwing. He's since been seen playing catch on the field.

It remains to be seen if Sasaki will return this season, but he would be eligible to be activated around the All-Star break.