Jasson Dominguez is one of the most exciting young players in all of baseball, and the New York Yankees might get his services back sooner than expected. When he went down with a torn UCL that would require Tommy John Surgery, the hope was that we would see the switch-hitting phenom getting into rehab games at some point in the summer, but Bryan Hoch of MLB.com provides an incredible update on his recovery.
“The timetable is a little more accelerated, they’re not going to rush Jasson Dominguez, but he may be a little closer to being back in centerfield for the New York Yankees than initially thought”
– Bryan Hoch
When asking Aaron Boone about a potential return, Hoch also added that the Yankee skipper was stunned to hear June was a target month for rehab games, answering back with “April, maybe May” as the start time for a rehab assignment.
Yankees Could Begin Jasson Dominguez’s Rehab Assignments in April
The idea was always for Jasson Dominguez to miss a good chunk of the season recovering from his elbow surgery, but it seems as if we’re going to see a sooner return for him than initially expected. We may see the switch-hitting outfielder begin rehab games at some point in April or May, which would be a huge boost to the team as he could get games in and find his comfort once again after not being able to work on his swing or get game action during camp. In his eight games with the Yankees after being called up late in the season, the 21-year-old clobbered four home runs and was sensational.
If the Yankees can slot him into centerfield at some point during the season, not only does the team get younger, but they also get more dynamic on the basepaths and could have a serious power threat added to the lineup. Dominguez has an excellent feel for the strike zone that has allowed him to be aggressive in the zone and jump on hittable pitches while showing the discipline and restraint to lay off pitches out of the strike zone and work walks. Couple that with enormous raw power, and suddenly you have one of the best bats in the Minor Leagues.
Jasson Dominguez also made massive strides with his contact and hit tool, striking out under 18% of the time in Double-A and Triple-A after the All-Star Break, which is what earned him a promotion to the Bronx. If he can continue his rapid development and ascent through the professional ranks, he could become the next homegrown star the team develops, and all the skills are there for him to become one of the faces of this franchise. Whether he sticks in centerfield or not does remain to be seen, but the speed he has on the bases has resulted in consecutive MiLB seasons with 35+ steals.
Nothing is more exciting than the prospect of having the duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in your lineup, but the idea that Dominguez could join that outfield and potentially form one of the best trios in the game is mesmerizing. One can only hope that his rehab continues to progress fluidly, as this could be a huge addition to the Yankees’ offense if they’re able to plug in one of baseball’s best prospects into the lineup.