BRONX, NY — New York Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez is on the cusp of getting back into game action after dealing with an elongated and frustrating year of injuries.
Manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday afternoon before his side’s Subway Series matchup against the Mets that the 21-year-old had a live batting practice session in Tampa on Monday and will be headed to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre either Tuesday or Wednesday.
After a ramp-up period, he should begin playing in games “within the week,” per Boone.
“He’s very close,” Boone added.
Dominguez suffered an elbow injury in September that required Tommy John surgery, derailing a brilliant start to his career in the majors in which he slugged four home runs with seven RBI in his first eight games. He returned to action in the minors in May, working his way back up to Triple-A, but was shut down in late June because of an oblique strain that Boone initially described as “significant.”
Upon his return to the Scranton lineup, Boone nor the Yankees have a set number of at-bats or particular benchmark that must be hit before bringing him back up to the majors.
“Once he’s healthy, he’s eligible to be called up,” Boone said. “So I’m not looking for a certain number. When the need arises, he’s in play.”
The need already appears to be present for the Yankees, who have received very little offensive support outside of the power duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Over a 29-game stretch ending on Saturday, Judge and Soto slashed .303/.446/.596 with 16 home runs. The rest of the Yankees slashed a paltry .205/.284/.329 with 18 home runs.
