The New York Yankees have been patiently waiting for the return of top prospect Jasson Dominguez. While it'll still take some time before he plays with the Yankees again, Dominguez is prepared to take a major step in his recovery.
The outfielder has a chance to begin playing rehab games by the middle of May, per manager Aaron Boone. He would begin that path predominantly seeing time at designated hitter, via Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
Dominguez is recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent during his rookie season. There's no word on exactly how many rehab games it'll take for him to be deemed MLB ready. But the fact that Dominguez is at least nearing playing in them is a good sign. New York won't rush their top prospect back, but they surely want Dominguez in the lineup sooner rather than later.
The Yankees didn't get a full view of what the budding star can do over his rookie season, as Dominguez appeared in just eight games. Still, it didn't take long for him to make an impact, as he hit .258 with four home runs, seven RBI and a stolen base. Once fully healthy, New York wants to see what Dominguez can do over a full season.
All signs point to him becoming a mainstay in the Bronx, assuming he stays healthy.
Jasson Dominguez's road to Yankees
New York signed Dominguez to a record-breaking deal in the 2019 international signing period. His $5.1 million signing bonus is the highest the Yankees have ever given out. But with the potential Dominguez showed, the contract only seemed to make sense.
By 2022 Dominguez was already in Double-A before making the jump to Triple-A in 2023. He has appeared in 295 games at the minor league level, hitting .266 with 36 home runs, 154 RBI and 86 stolen bases. His tantalizing blend of power and speed caught the eye of evaluators around MLB.
Before he even made his minor league debut, Dominguez was already heralded as one of the best prospects in all of baseball. He became the Yankees' No. 1 prospect in 2020, via MLB Pipeline. He held that title in 2021 as well before losing out to Anthony Volpe for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
But Dominguez was never too far behind, falling no lower than the third-best in the organization. Entering the 2024 campaign, Dominguez was once again listed as New York's best prospect. Furthermore, he ranks as the 37th-best prospect in all of baseball.
The Yankees already have immense firepower in their lineup with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Alex Verdugo joins the trio in the outfield while Giancarlo Stanton mans designated hitter. On the surface, there may not be room for Dominguez.
However, New York knows exactly how good the top prospect can be. If fully healthy, Jasson Dominguez has a chance to completely revitalize an already strong lineup. The Yankees are counting down the days until they have to make a difficult decision. But with a player like Dominguez soon returning, that's a good problem to have.
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