Sports

/

ArcaMax

Jasson Domínguez getting closer to game action; Yankees lose to Brewers in extras

Gary Phillips, New York Daily News on

Published in Baseball

Nothing is imminent, but The Martian is getting closer to game action.

Aaron Boone said that Jasson Domínguez, recovering from UCL surgery, is now throwing from 135 feet, according to NJ.com’s Max Goodman. He’s also been taking batting practice.

Boone added that Domínguez is “a few weeks” away from getting in games, though the manager stressed that the outfielder does not have an exact timeline.

The Yankees have said from the get-go that they expect their top prospect to return sometime this summer, but they haven’t been more specific than that. There’s also no guarantee that Domínguez goes straight back to the majors once he completes a rehab assignment.

While he flashed tremendous potential last September, hitting four home runs in eight games before getting hurt, Domínguez is far from a finished product at 21 years of age. Meanwhile, the Yankees have three outfielders entrenched in starting roles right now: Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo.

Soto hit his team-leading seventh home run in Friday’s 7-6 extra-inning loss to Milwaukee, while Verdugo added his third long ball of the year. Both were solo shots, while backup outfielder Trent Grisham belted a three-run dinger for his first home run as a Yankee.

 

Because of the crowded outfield, Domínguez’s age, and the fact that he has minor league options, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Yankees send him to Triple-A once he’s cleared. He would be an offensive upgrade over Grisham and Taylor Trammell, another backup, but Domínguez is still developing and would be better off getting everyday at-bats in the minors, especially after a long absence.

Of course, these things often have a way of working themselves out. The Yankees’ outfield picture could look completely different by the time Domínguez can be activated.

While it remains to be seen where Domínguez will go once healthy, he’s already expressed confidence in his ability to hit at the major league level.

“I know I can play here, but I also know there’s a lot of work to do,” he said during spring training. “I’ve got a lot of things that I gotta learn.”

...continued

swipe to next page

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus