Jasson Domínguez set for Tommy John surgery Wednesday

Ever since the news broke on Sunday that Jasson Domínguez had a torn UCL in his elbow, it’s felt like only a matter of time for elbow surgery to be scheduled. The doctors indicated that Tommy John surgery was going to be the best route for him to recover, and after weighing options, the Yankees and Domínguez are indeed going through with it. His first foray in the big leagues is officially over after one scintillating week with a .980 OPS and four homers in eight games.

Manager Aaron Boone announced this morning at Fenway Park that Domínguez will undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. Boone also offered a possible timetable for his return in 2024, though June/July is ultimately a mere estimate.

Per SNY’s Andy Martino, it might not be the full Tommy John surgery, but it will at least be a variation of it. That determination will be made during the operation.

Recovery from Tommy John surgery is different for position players rather than pitchers, so barring something disastrous (or a separate injury), Domínguez will play in 2024. The only question is when.

Everyone takes to the procedure in slightly different ways. In his write-up of the initial injury, Peter went through a few different recent examples — including some recent Yankees:

The Yankees are all too familiar with UCL injuries to their position players, with each of Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres undergoing the procedure. Gregorius aggravated a partial tear during the 2019 ALCS and was activated in July the following season after eight months of rehab. Hicks underwent the surgery after the 2019 season and also returned to action eight months later. Torres had the surgery on his non-throwing elbow after suffering his injury in June of 2017 and was ready for spring training 2018

There are other high-profile cases that might be useful to examine. Bryce Harper underwent TJS on November 23, 2022 and returned to the Phillies in early May this season. During his Dodgers days, Corey Seager opted for the surgery in early May 2018 and missed the rest of the season but returned in spring 2019.

As others have noted, expecting a Wolverine-esque rapid return like Harper is probably asking too much, particularly since the Yankees want Domínguez playing the outfield and not just a DH/1B like Harper at this point. The Yankees will take their time with a guy this talented, and no one should blame them.