THE YANKEES GAVE VOLPE YEARS. THE MARTIAN GOT A BENCH.

The Yankees spent years telling us the Martian had landed. Then Aaron Boone handed him a boarding pass for the bench.

Bryan Hoch raised the possibility that Jasson Domínguez could be moved this winter. Meanwhile, Spencer Jones could get a look in center, strikeouts and all. Imagine being Jones and watching how this played out. You’d ask for your playing time in writing.

I don’t blame Domínguez. Look at the outfield. Where were the everyday at-bats supposed to come from? Once the Yankees built a roster that squeezed him out, it was on them to find him regular work. Instead, he got to play for Aaron Boone, the worst manager in baseball at handling personnel. Boone can turn a three-hit night into a day off and call it keeping everybody fresh.

The Yankees suck at giving young hitters a routine. A kid needs to face a pitcher on Tuesday, get beat on a pitch, and come back Wednesday with an adjustment. 

With Boone, Wednesday might mean a sweatshirt and a good view of the game. Then the kid goes 0-for-4 on Friday and everybody wonders why he looks rusty.

And then there’s Anthony Volpe.

If we’re making a list of Yankees prospects who went bust compared with the hype, Volpe goes at the top. He got the everyday job at shortstop and plenty of time to make it his. Now second base is being floated. Apparently, if the evaluation goes badly enough, you can move it ninety feet and start over.

My offer to Cincinnati? Volpe for a bag of balls. The Reds can keep the bag.

Here’s what pisses me off. The Yankees gave Volpe years to show what he could do with a steady job. They owe themselves the same honest look at Domínguez before they decide what he’s worth. If the outfield is too crowded to give him regular at-bats, that’s Cashman’s roster problem. Boone’s lineup roulette sure as hell hasn’t helped.

So make a decision on Volpe. Find a way to play Domínguez regularly before you ship him out. And if Spencer Jones gets the job in center, give him enough time to work through the strikeouts that everybody already knows are coming.

You want to show Yankees fans you give a shit? Show us you know what to do with a prospect after the hype wears off.

This team is a mess, and it starts at the top.