TAMPA — Jason Dominguez isn’t sure when or where he’ll fit into the Yankees’ outfield later this season.
For now, he’s only thinking about recovering from Tommy John surgery and trying to make the most of his time by surrounding himself with former and future major league teammates before entering the regular season. However, he remains in Tampa and is rehabbing.
“I’m always learning by being around them,” Dominguez said Tuesday at Steinbrenner Field. “A lot of them have been around for a long time and I want to get back there.”
Dominguez turned 21 in February and was called up to the majors with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in September after just nine games, appearing in eight games and opening many eyes, but then… His season was cut short due to a torn UCL.
The switch hitter has hit four home runs in his first seven games and has returned to swinging from both sides of the plate in practice.
“My swing now feels normal and good from both sides,” Dominguez said. “Obviously, I want to get back to playing right away and get to the majors, but I can’t rush it.”
In addition to Aaron Judge, who has been dealing with abdominal discomfort, the Yankees have newly acquired outfielders Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham.
It remains to be seen how everything will fit together when Dominguez returns to 100 percent, but given the recent health issues in Yankees camp, that may not be an issue.
But Dominguez isn’t thinking too far into the future.
“I can’t worry too much about it because it’s out of my control,” Dominguez said. “I’m focused on rehab and trying to get to know the players as much as possible. It’s a great group of outfielders. It would be an honor to play with them.”
And what if there’s no room for him on the major league roster later this year and Dominguez is sent back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre?
“We don’t know how everything will turn out,” Dominguez said.
Grisham, like Dominguez, still has minor league options, so the Yankees may have to make some decisions.
But in the meantime, the team wants to get Dominguez physically back to his pre-injury form, where he showed the ability to hit the ball hard, hitting 110.2 mph and eight home runs.
