By Bryan Hoch | 10 minutes ago
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NEW YORK – After being promoted to the major leagues on Sept. 1, Jason Domínguez made an enticing first impression. The switch prodigy became the youngest Yankees player since Mickey Mantle to hit a home run and steal a base in the same game.
Mantle’s rookie season was cut short by a devastating injury, and now Domínguez’s too. The 20-year-old has been diagnosed with a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, which requires surgery, ending his 2023 season and likely costing him the first half of 2024.
“It’s definitely very shocking news,” Domínguez said through an interpreter. “You never expect this to be the result. Now that we understand what happened, we have to move forward and get through it.”
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the Martian’s recovery will likely take nine to 10 months, suggesting the 2024 All-Star hiatus could be the best-case scenario for his return.
“I’m devastated for him,” Boone said. “At the same time, he’s a young man and those things will sort themselves out. It’s a moment overall where we feel he has a chance to have a long, stellar career.”
Domínguez said: “The plan is to have surgery as soon as possible and try to recover as quickly as possible.”
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According to Boone and Dominguez, the injury can be traced back to his third game in the majors, a game on Sept. 3 against the Astros in Houston. Domínguez said he “felt something was wrong” before the game, but he was still able to play and hit his second home run in the big league in a Yankees win.
After a day off, Domínguez said he was able to relax enough to make his Yankee Stadium debut on September 5 and first reported the complaints to the team’s training staff on September 6 — another game in which he scored a goal.
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Domínguez said he has been receiving treatment since then, but the symptoms have “gotten worse and worse.” In Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers, he was axed because he felt unable to swing the bat with authority.
“Today when he did his blood pressure, routine and swing work he couldn’t pop the ball or hit it hard so we had him tested during the game,” Boone said.
The Yankees continued a five-game winning streak after Dominguez and catcher Austin Wells were promoted to the September squad. Domínguez became the youngest player in the modern era (since 1900) to hit a home run in four of his first seven AL/NL games.
The swinging midfielder hit .258/.303/.677 (8 of 31) with six runs, a double, four homers, seven RBIs, two walks and a stolen base in eight games.
“It was a really good experience,” Domínguez said. “I’ve been fortunate to be here, to be able to play those eight games and really see what it’s like in this clubhouse in the big leagues.”