Yankees' Jasson Domínguez Out Up to 8 Weeks with 'Significant' Injury, Boone Says
June 20, 2024
New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez is headed back to the injured list weeks after returning to the minors from UCL surgery with a "pretty significant" oblique injury, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Thursday.
"It's a pretty significant strain, so probably up to eight weeks until he's playing in games," Boone said (h/t SNY.)
Domínguez suffered the injury Saturday on a checked swing during an at-bat for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
The top Yankees prospect was on a rehab assignment as he worked to return to the Yankees, where he made eight appearances prior to his injury last season.
The outfielder had slashed .258/.303/.677 with eight hits, a home run and a stolen base in his brief appearance in the majors.
He returned to the outfield in Double-A at the end of May, then was moved to Triple-A on June 4, per Greg Joyce and Dan Martin of the New York Post. He slashed .389/.405/.609 through nine Triple-A games prior to the injury.
Domínguez was working his way back from surgery he underwent in September to repair a torn UCL he suffered during his third MLB game, per Hoch.
The 21-year-old had not yet found a clear path back to the Yankees roster with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo powering the New York outfield and Giancarlo Stanton hitting 18 home runs in a bounce-back campaign as designated hitter.
A spot briefly opened in the star-studded outfield Wednesday when Judge, who was hit in the left hand by a pitch during a Tuesday night game against the Baltimore Orioles, was held out of the starting lineup. The opening did not last for long, as Judge returned to the lineup Thursday.
Domínguez's injury makes the Yankees' December decision to send three pitchers to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Verdugo look even more crucial to the team's climb to the top of the AL East.
Verdugo, who was originally expected to compete with Domínguez for a spot in the outfield this season, has slashed .257/.314/.419 as a key part of the Yankees' offense through 73 games.
Domínguez signed with the Yankees as a top international prospect in July 2019. His latest injury puts his path to returning to the majors in question, especially because he has fewer than 100 at-bats remaining this season before he loses rookie eligibility.
