The Martian Crashes to Earth, as Jasson Domínguez’s Torn UCL Ends a Promising Debut Stint

Apparently, the Yankees can’t have good issues even after shifting their focus to subsequent season. Less than two weeks into his main league profession, and simply two days after he hit the fourth dwelling run of his transient stick with the Yankees, long-awaited prospect Jasson Domínguez — nicknamed “The Martian” for his otherworldly assortment of instruments — has been recognized with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his proper elbow. He’ll quickly bear season-ending surgical procedure that can doubtless sideline him for a part of 2024 as properly.

The 20-year-old Domínguez, who has been on prospect hounds’ radars since he signed out of the Dominican Republic for a $5.1-million bonus in 2019, entered the season ranked fiftieth on our Top 100 Prospects listing and third on the Yankees listing as a switch-hitting 50 FV prospect with a projected ETA of 2025. He didn’t determine within the Yankees’ instant plans for this season, having break up his 2022 marketing campaign between A-level Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley. He completed the yr with a 10-game cameo at Double-A Somerset; the final 5 of these video games have been within the Eastern League playoffs, capped by a two-homer, six-RBI efficiency within the championship collection clincher.

This season, Domínguez hit .254/.367/.414 (117 wRC+) with 15 homers, 37 steals, and a 15.2% stroll fee at Somerset, albeit with a dramatic enchancment from the primary half to the second. Before the All-Star break he scuffled, batting simply .204/.345/.346 (95 wRC+) with 10 homers, 23 steals, and a 28.4% strikeout fee, numbers mitigated considerably by his plate self-discipline (17.7% stroll fee) and his age in a league the place he was almost 4 years youthful than the common place participant. He caught fireplace after the break, doing a greater job of creating contact and translating his 65-grade uncooked energy into sport energy, hitting .354/.416/.549 with 5 homers and 13 steals from July 14 by means of August 20 whereas trimming his strikeout fee to 19.3%. He not solely netted Player of the Week honors within the remaining week of his run at Somerset, he earned a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Meanwhile, a mixture of accidents and underperformances by growing older veterans wrecked the Yankees’ season, with a 4-15 skid from August 6–27 sealing their destiny. In the center of that mess, they started turning over their roster, inserting outfielder Billy McKinney on the injured listing and recalling outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Oswald Peraza from Scranton, designating outfielder Greg Allen for project, and releasing third baseman Josh Donaldson simply as he was nearing a rehab project following a Grade 2 calf pressure. On August 29, they positioned underperforming heart fielder Harrison Bader, a pending free agent, on waivers. He was claimed by the Reds on September 1, successfully clearing the best way for the Yankees to name up Domínguez, who had hit a scorching .419/.514/.581 in 37 PA at Scranton. Additionally, the Yankees referred to as up catcher Austin Wells.

That set the stage for a storybook debut towards the Astros at Minute Maid Park on September 1. Batting fourth within the lineup and going through Justin Verlander — no strain, child! — with a runner on first, Domínguez took a curveball for strike one, then unloaded on a belt-high fastball, connecting for a 100.2-mph, 360-foot reverse discipline dwelling run into the Crawford Boxes.

With that, the 20-year, 206-day-old Domínguez turned the youngest Yankee ever to homer in his main league debut and the fifth-youngest participant to homer in his first profession plate look:

After amassing a single off Rafael Montero in his second sport, Domínguez went yard once more in his third, this time with a two-run homer off Cristian Javier that helped the Yankees sweep the Astros. He doubled off the Tigers’ Brendan White in his fourth sport, then hit a solo homer off Detroit’s Beau Brieske in his fifth, a part of a three-hit night time. He lastly went hitless on September 7, his sixth sport, however rebounded to membership a two-run homer off the Brewers’ Colin Rea the following night time (with this scribe in attendance), making him the youngest participant since 1900 to homer in 4 of his first seven AL/NL video games. Including his 0-for-4, three-strikeout efficiency on Friday, he completed with a .258/.303/.677 (161 wRC+) line and 24.1% strikeout fee in 33 PA.

Via The Athletic, Domínguez first felt soreness in his elbow throughout batting observe on September 3, however was in a position to play by means of it (and homer). He didn’t report his discomfort to Yankee trainers till three days later (when he homered once more), and it continued to really feel “progressively worse” since Wednesday.

“Today, when he was doing his BP and routine and swinging, he couldn’t pop the ball or hit it hard, so we got him tested during the game,” mentioned supervisor Aaron Boone on Sunday. “I’m crushed for him… At the same time, he’s a young man, and these things resolve themselves. It’s a moment in time, in the grand scheme of things, in what we feel like has a chance to be a long, excellent career.”

Through an interpreter, Domingez described the outcomes of the scan as “very shocking news.”

While acknowledging, “There’s always wiggle room” concerning damage timelines, on Sunday Boone mentioned that Domínguez will want 9 or 10 months to rehab from surgical procedure, which might place the outfielder’s return someday between mid-June and the All-Star break of subsequent season. But the precise timing will rely partially upon what sort of surgical procedure he undergoes, and thus far, the precise nature of the process has but to be decided.

Most UCL tears are repaired through Tommy John surgical procedure, utilizing a tendon graft, however some may be repaired utilizing the newer inner brace method, which creates a man-made ligament utilizing collagen-coated suture tape. The newer method, which might solely be used on sure varieties of tears, has a shorter restoration time than a standard TJ, although returns for place gamers usually occur extra rapidly than for pitchers anyway. Rhys Hoskins underwent inner brace surgical procedure on October 2, 2020 and was again within the lineup six months later, on April 1, 2021, whereas Trevor Story wanted seven months from surgical procedure (January 9, 2023) to his return to the Red Sox lineup (August 8). Former Yankee Aaron Hicks underwent a standard Tommy John surgical procedure on October 30, 2019, and was again about 9 months later, on July 23, however that was as a result of Opening Day had been delayed by the pandemic. Bryce Harper returned in simply 160 days, albeit at the price of not having the ability to play the sector, and he’s been restricted to first base since selecting up a glove.

Domínguez’s plan of action received’t be clear till he finishes consulting with docs, however he received’t be within the majors on the outset of 2024, which signifies that the Yankees must discover one other heart fielder, a minimum of for the quick time period. Whether the stocky, muscular Domínguez, who lists at 5-foot-10 and 190 kilos on our web site however could also be an inch shorter and 20-25 kilos heavier, can stick in heart is a giant query, as his ball expertise are suspect in accordance with Eric Longenhagen.

As illustrated at quite a few turns this yr, the Yankees’ group is woefully skinny within the outfield except for Aaron Judge; he and the bygone Bader have mixed for 3.6 WAR in 555 PA as outfielders, whereas everyone else who’s performed the pasture has netted a mixed -1.0 WAR in 1,144 PA. Remarkably sufficient, Domínguez’s 0.3 WAR in his tiny slice of enjoying time is tied for third behind Judge and Bader.

Indeed, between Brian Cashman’s determination to not improve left discipline this previous winter, and the accidents of Bader and Judge, the Yankees have given far an excessive amount of enjoying time to Quad-A sorts resembling McKinney, Allen, Jake Bauers, Franchy Cordero, and Willie Calhoun. They’ve mixed for 0.4 WAR in 432 PA as outfielders, and 0.3 WAR in 641 PA together with their time at DH and different positions. Oswaldo Cabrera, a homegrown prospect who confirmed promise in his late-2022 callup, has been dreadful, hitting .207/.273/.297 (59 wRC+) with -0.7 WAR in 257 PA whereas enjoying each place apart from pitcher and catcher however principally the outfield. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has solely been barely higher, hitting .243/.307/.347 (83 wRC+) with 0.3 WAR in 333 PA whereas taking over time within the outfield as properly.

The 22-year-old Pereira hasn’t offered a lot assist but. A forty five+ FV prospect, he entered the season fourth on the Yankees listing, with plus energy and above-average velocity however questions on his hit software and his protection in heart discipline, the place he performed primarily whereas at Hudson and Somerset final season. Though he missed about three weeks in June as a result of an unspecified damage, Pereira hit a mixed .300/.373/.548 (138 wRC+) with 18 homers in 343 PA break up between Somerset and Scranton, spending time in all three outfield spots (25 of his 75 outfield begins have been in heart). When the Yankees referred to as him up, it was with the intention that he’d play left discipline, the place he’s made all 18 of his appearances. He’s carried out virtually nothing towards main league pitching thus far, hitting .150/.239/.200 (27 wRC+) with a 37.3% strikeout fee, although his contact stats (91.2 mph common exit velo, 11.4% barrel fee, 57.1% hard-hit fee) do a minimum of present some promise.

As for who will play heart in Domínguez’s absence, the reply is Estevan Florial, a 25-year-old lefty swinger who has hit simply .185/.302/.278 in 30 video games and 63 PA of main league enjoying time unfold from 2020–23 however who now not qualifies as a prospect as a result of how a lot time he’s spent on the lively roster. Florial’s inventory has lengthy since fallen from his days as a Futures Game participant (2017) and Top 100 Prospect (79th right here in 2018 and 106th in ’19, however greater in each years through different shops). In his final FanGraphs prospect listing look, he was no. 32 on the Yankees’ 2021 listing, a 35+ FV prospect with 70-grade velocity and 60-grade uncooked energy however only a 30-grade hit software. His 30.3% strikeout fee in 1,305 PA at Scranton over the previous three seasons (29.9% this yr) has borne that concern out.

Florial did hit a strong .284/.380/.565 with 28 homers and 25 steals at Scranton, however after making the Yankees’ Opening Day roster, pinch-running for Giancarlo Stanton and spending an inning in heart discipline, he was designated for project in order that the workforce might add one other pitcher. He went unclaimed and was outrighted to Triple-A, and whereas the workforce had ample alternatives to revive him to the 40-man roster amid myriad accidents, they didn’t. In sharing his up to date notes with me, Longenhagen wrote, “His top hand does seem more involved in his swing and his groundball rate has dropped [from 42.5% to 37.6%],” including, “His plate coverage (especially against soft stuff in the bottom of the zone) is still really bad, and there are lots of statistical indicators that this guy is at best going to have a 30-grade hit tool.” Longenhagen pointed to Jose Siri for instance of a participant with sufficient energy to play a task regardless of a excessive strikeout fee, and added that between Pereira, Cabrera, and Florial, it’s honest to hope that considered one of them “will end up being flawed-but-dangerous components toward the bottom of a competitive lineup.”

None of these gamers appears as if they may make the sort of influence that Domínguez can. As the Yankees choose up the items from this season shattered by unhealthy luck and unhealthy planning, the Martian’s damage solely provides to their rising listing of disappointments.