Yankees could see star prospect get into rehab games in 2 weeks

After tearing it up in the second half with the Somerset Patriots in AAA, and receiving a promotion to AAA, the outfielder experienced one of the best starts to your career you could possibly have in his first swing as a major league he sent a ball off of future Hall of Fame or Justin Verlander to left. The talent that he possesses is remarkable as he grades out as an above-average hitter in terms of plate discipline contact rates, and exit velocity.

Last season with the Major League team he posted a 162 wRC+ with four home runs and seven RBI through eight games, and the UCL tear he suffered prevented him from having an excellent debut month. One could also argue he would have kept his starting job had he remained healthy, which brings up plenty of questions about whether they would call him up upon the completion of his rehab assignment.

The Yankees will DH Dominguez on his rehab assignment for the first two weeks of games, and it would be responsible to let him build up at the Minor League level. He will also likely get his initial outfield reps down there, as having him come up before he’s completely cleared could open the door for some injury risk, and that’s not something you want with a young budding star.

Giancarlo Stanton has not been excellent this year, posting a 106 wRC+ and running a .282 OBP through his first 34 games, and with his lack of speed or defensive value, Jasson Dominguez could realistically usurp him. The Yankees won’t make an immediate swap of the two when the rehab assignment concludes most likely, and I’d also assume that they keep him in Triple-A if everyone remains healthy on the roster.

As the Yankees continue to progress through their season, we’ll get a better understanding of what the offense needs and where the organization needs depth. Jasson Dominguez could be an exciting addition, but most players struggle with power after returning from a UCL surgery, so perhaps it would be too much to expect for him to provide an immediate punch to their lineup.

Bryce Harper for example hit just four home runs with a 117 wRC+ through his first 290 plate appearances last season, but he didn’t go through a rehab assignment. Perhaps with a rehab assignment, we could see Dominguez build-up in the power department and get back to where he needs to be before getting Major League reps.