Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez could be playing minor-league games 'within a week,' Aaron Boone says

No setbacks so far for Jasson Dominguez means the outfield prospect might become an option for the Yankees sooner than expected.

Before Tuesday night’s game against Mets, Aaron Boone said the 21-year-old switch-hitter, placed on the minor league injured list in mid-June with a left oblique strain, could be playing games again with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre “within a week.”

Boone said Dominguez, who started the season on the big-league IL as he continued his rehab from the season-ending Tommy John surgery he underwent last September for a UCL tear in his right elbow, took live batting practice Monday at the club’s minor league complex in Tampa (doing so against rehabbing pitcher Nick Burdi). He is scheduled to join Scranton in the next day or two.

“Jasson’s doing well,” Boone said. “[He’ll] get built up a little bit and then he should be playing games within the week. So he’s very close.”

How quickly the Yankees would choose to promote Dominguez — assuming there are no setbacks in the coming week — is the question. The club has been exploring the market in advance of the July 30 trade deadline for a bat, though the Yankees have been primarily looking at corner infielders — especially first base — in that regard.

Before suffering the oblique injury, Dominguez had completed his rehab assignment related to the Tommy John surgery, but was more or less blocked from a spot on the big-league roster because the starting outfield trio of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo were all productive, and the Yankees liked having two-time Gold Glove winner Trent Grisham on the bench as a reserve (Grisham has seen more action in center of late as the Yankees have increasingly used the DH spot for Judge as a way to keep the 2022 American League MVP fresh).

Thus, when Dominguez finished his rehab, there was not a pathway to the majors that would had led to regular playing time. That still may be the case, but circumstances are far different than in mid-June when the Yankees were, at one point, an MLB-best 50-22.

The Yankees came into Tuesday 10-20 since then, pretty much all of the elements that led to the hot start falling apart.

Verdugo, a free agent at season’s end who is highly unlikely to be re-signed, has been in a slump for well over a month. And while the Yankees still value Grisham’s defense, their lack of consistent offensive production from players not named Soto and Judge means nothing can be ruled out — whether it be when it comes to trade deadline acquisitions (rival executives expect the Yankees to be “aggressive”) or when the club decides to pull the trigger on bringing Dominguez up.

Because, small a sample size as it may be, Dominguez’s bat has been nothing but productive.

Like Judge, Dominguez homered in his first career at-bat last September and hit four homers in eight games while posting a .980 OPS before suffering the UCL tear.

“What he did in eight games last year, it was impressive,” Soto, who like Dominguez is from the Dominican Republic and who mentored the young outfielder during the spring, said before camp broke. “He’s a great kid. He’s really positive with what he’s doing and with what he’s been through. I think that’s one of the biggest things. The mindset that he has is above and beyond.”

In a combined 23 games between stints with Class A Tampa, Double-A Somerset and Scranton this season, Dominguez hit .356 with six homers, four doubles and a 1.014 OPS.

The Yankees won’t be inclined to rush Dominguez back to the majors once he starts playing with Scranton. But, if the offense continues to struggle — and, again, depending on what the trade deadline brings — everything will be on the table.

“Once he’s healthy, he’s eligible to be called up,” Boone said. “So I’m not looking for a certain number of plate [appearances in the minors]. When the need arises, he’s in play.”