Yankees top prospect Jasson Dominguez is back on the disabled list with an oblique strain just weeks after returning to baseball following ulnar collateral ligament surgery.
The Yankees placed Dominguez on the injured list on Sunday after he injured his oblique on a swing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barr on Saturday. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday that tests confirmed “moderate” oblique tension. There is no timetable for Domínguez’s return.
Dominguez, a slugging outfielder who was once one of baseball’s most anticipated prospects. has cut .273/.374/.444 with 42 home runs, 167 RBIs and 89 stolen bases in 318 minor league games. He made a splash in his MLB debut on September 1 of last season, with a home run off three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in his first major league at-bat.
Dominguez had four home runs, seven RBIs and a stolen base in a red-hot eight-game stretch with the Yankees in September before a torn UCL cut short his first MLB season less than two weeks after his debut. He underwent Tommy John surgery on September 20 and was given 9 to 10 months to return.
Dominguez returned to baseball in May on a rehab assignment at Low-A Tampa before joining the Double-A Somerset Patriots and eventually Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He hit .389/.405/.609 in nine games in Triple-A before his injury. His path back to the Yankees was unclear before his latest injury and now he’s even more unclear.
The Yankees have arguably the best outfield in baseball, with slugging MVP candidates Aaron Judge and Juan Soto alongside Alex Verdugo. Former MVP designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton He could also play in the outfield. if required.
That said, Judge’s status was less clear as of Wednesday afternoon. Judge left Tuesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles after being hit on his left hand by a fastball. Initial X-rays and a CT scan did not reveal a fracture or structural damage, but the timeline for his return was not immediately clear.