Jasson Dominguez’s injury: Did the Yankees have a hand in it?

New York Yankees rookie outfielder Jasson Dominguez has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on his right throwing elbow. The injury will require Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the rest of the 2023 MLB season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects Jasson Dominguez to be out for nine to ten months, which will also cause him to miss a significant portion of the 2024 season. The 20-year-old first experienced discomfort during a September 3 game against the Houston Astros but could not recall how he picked up the injury.

Jasson Dominguez’s promotion to the senior team earlier this month became an instant hit among fans, as he registered a two-run homer against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander in his first at-bat. Nicknamed ‘The Martian’ for his otherworldly abilities, Jasson Dominguez registered a hit in all three games against the Houston Astros to help the Yankees sweep the reigning World Series champions. The Martian managed three more homers since his big debut as the Yankees went on a five-game winning streak to reignite their postseason hopes.

Manager Aaron Boone broke the news of the young slugger’s injury after he revealed that Jasson Dominguez tore his ulnar collateral ligament, ruling him out for the remainder of the season. This unfortunate injury necessitates Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him for the remainder of the 2023 MLB season.

“When he was doing his BP, his routine, and he was swinging, he couldn’t pop the ball or really hit it hard,” Aaron Boone said about Jasson Dominguez’s injury. “So we brought him up and he went and got tested during the game and he’s got a torn UCL.” (via Sports Illustrated)

Anticipating the recovery timeline, Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone foresees Jasson Dominguez’s absence lasting between nine to ten months, consequently impacting a substantial portion of the 2024 season.

Since his remarkable debut, Jasson Dominguez has continued to shine, hitting three more home runs as the Yankees embarked on a five-game winning streak, rekindling their hopes for a postseason berth.

Did Yankees let Jasson Dominguez play with an injury?

According to both Boone and Jasson Dominguez, the ailment traces its origins to his third game in the Major Leagues, which took place in a showdown against the Astros on September 3 in Houston. Jasson Dominguez conceded that he had a sensation that “something wasn’t quite right” before the game commenced, yet he persevered and notched his second home run at the Major League level as the Yankees secured a victory.

Following his initial complaints of discomfort to the team’s training staff on September 6, a game during which he also delivered a home run, Jasson Dominguez mentioned that he managed to find enough relief to participate in his debut at Yankee Stadium on September 5.

During Sunday’s game, the team decided to put him through the paces, as Boone revealed that he was unable to generate power or make solid contact with the ball due to his condition.

But Jasson Dominguez said:

“I felt like something wasn’t right, but not preventing me to play. We had a day off on Monday, so Tuesday felt about the same. But warming up and getting loose for the game, that’s the point where I could play. And then Wednesday, that’s when I told the trainers that I was feeling some kind of discomfort that wasn’t going away. And since Wednesday it has gotten progressively worse.”

Tweets too came out indicating that the Yankees let him play with an injury.

The recovery expectations

Position players may not require UCL reconstruction surgery as often as pitchers, but there are instances where it becomes necessary. Paul Molitor made history as the first major league hitter to undergo this procedure in 1984. Typically, the average recovery time for a position player in MLB is around 11 months. Recent examples provide valuable insights: Didi Gregorius made a surprisingly swift return in just under seven months. Corey Seager, on the other hand, missed nearly a year, largely due to the timing of his surgery, which took place on the same day five years ago, and his early-May surgery prevented him from returning until after the postseason had concluded. Salvador Perez’s case stands out as he endured a 15-month recovery period, but it’s worth noting he underwent surgery in March 2019, only to face a baseball-less March in 2020.

While Gregorius struggled to regain his previous form after the injury, Seager needed a year of playing time to rediscover his rhythm, although his batting statistics post-surgery closely mirrored those from before. Aaron Hicks transitioned from a consistent presence in the lineup to a perpetual fourth outfielder after his own surgery.

However, Travis d’Arnaud mounted a remarkable comeback and began fulfilling the potential he had displayed as a prospect; his hitting improved significantly after his return. Perez experienced the best two offensive years of his career in the two years following his surgery. Gleyber Torres received a new UCL a year before his major league debut and proceeded to deliver exceptional performances for two consecutive seasons.

Can Jasson Dominguez have a similar recovery?

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