New York Yankees rookie outfielder Jasson Domínguez had Tommy John surgery "which included the addition of internal bracing" on Wednesday, the team announced. The estimated recovery timetable is 9-10 months. The internal brace is a relatively new procedure that further strengthens the ligament beyond the usual Tommy John surgery repair.
To throw everything into baseball terms, the 20-year-old Domínguez will start next season on the injured list and we can probably expect to see him sometime around the middle of the season, maybe before the All-Star break.
If he proves to be a quick healer, it's entirely possible Domínguez could return before that. Remember, Bryce Harper had Tommy John surgery after the World Series last year -- not until Nov. 23, actually -- and then returned this season the first week of May. Given the age of Domínguez, though, in addition to the Yankees likely having a bit less urgency to rush him back to the field the way the Phillies probably had with their franchise player, the best guess is the Yankees try to slow Domínguez down as best they can to try and guard against any possible setbacks.
Domínguez debuted to great fanfare on Sept. 1 as one of the top Yankees prospects. He made an immediate impact, hitting a home run off Justin Verlander in his first career at-bat. He actually homered in four of his first seven games, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. Through just eight games in his MLB career, Domínguez is hitting .258/.303/.677 with a double, four home runs, seven RBI, six runs, a stolen base and 0.2 WAR.
How the Yankees sort things out heading toward 2024 in the outfield will be interesting. It is incredibly unlikely they want to punt on the season for myriad reasons, but they'll surely want a natural landing spot for Domínguez to start in the outfield everyday when he's back. Aaron Judge is obviously cemented in right field and the DH spot is reserved for Giancarlo Stanton when he's healthy. Youngster Everson Pereira is currently playing everyday in left field. There's room to add a corner power bat in the offseason, should the Yankees pursue this path, with Judge holding center until Domínguez is ready to return, but it seems like the Yankees would rather keep Judge in right.
For now, the focus will be on getting Domínguez back into the fold without seeing him suffer a setback that will be detrimental to his big-league development.
