The Yankees announced on Tuesday that young center fielder Jasson Domínguez has started a rehab assignment with Class A Tampa. He had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 20, 2023, making this his first game action of 2024.
Domínguez, 21, debuted to great fanfare late last season and took only 33 plate appearances before suffering his elbow injury. He hit .258/.303/.677 (158 OPS+) with a double, four homers, seven RBI, six runs and 0.2 WAR in eight games. He homered off Justin Verlander in his first career at-bat.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently said that Domínguez would start as a DH-only, but that he's not too far away from playing in the field as well.
"It seems like there's been very few hiccups along the way," Boone said over the weekend, according to the New York Post. "It's been smooth, he hasn't been rushed."
Rehab assignments for position players can take up to 20 days, but let's keep in mind Domínguez has three minor-league options remaining, so once his 20 days are up, the Yankees could just option him to Triple-A to get him regular playing time, if they so choose.
We bring this up because, for now, there isn't a natural opening on the Yankees for Domínguez. Aaron Judge has been holding down center field with Juan Soto in right and Alex Verdugo in left. Giancarlo Stanton is the full-time designated hitter. They could keep Trent Grisham around as a fourth outfielder instead of relegating Domínguez to bench duty.
Obviously, it's entirely possible an injury opens up a spot and the Yankees would surely love to move Judge to a corner outfield position with Domínguez taking over in center, if such a situation presents itself. It's a nice problem to have when you have too many good athletes to find room for such a talented young player.
"Hopefully it is a tough decision at that point, because good things are happening here," Boone said, according to the Post. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
The Yankees enter play Tuesday with a 27-15 record, good for a virtual tie for first in the AL East and the best record in the American League.
