BASEBALL: Yankees' Jasson Dominguez to hit IL with shoulder sprain

New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Domínguez suffered a low-grade AC joint sprain in his left shoulder following a collision with the auxiliary scoreboard during Thursday afternoon’s 9-2 win over the Texas Rangers.

The team announced after the game that concussion tests came back negative, but Domínguez still underwent an MRI, which confirmed the shoulder injury. He also remains in concussion protocol as a precaution. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Domínguez will be placed on the injured list and is expected to miss “a few weeks.”

The injury occurred in the first inning when Domínguez sprinted back to the warning track and crashed into a chain-link section of the outfield scoreboard while attempting to complete a catch off a deep drive from leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo. Head athletic trainer Tim Lentych attended to him for several minutes as Boone and team personnel looked on.

“That’s one of the unfortunate parts of the game—an amazing catch, obviously, and he hit the wall pretty hard,” Boone said after the game. “Hopefully, he’s in a good space head-wise, and this is something that doesn’t keep him out too long.”

Following Domínguez’s exit, the Yankees made multiple defensive adjustments. Cody Bellinger shifted from right field to left field, Amed Rosario moved from third base to right field, and Ryan McMahon entered the game at third base.

Boone also addressed the possibility of outfield prospect Spencer Jones being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to help fill the roster gap. “He’s put himself in the mix,” Boone said. “It doesn’t mean that’s the way we’ll go, but we’ve got to talk about it. The signs have been encouraging.”

Jones, who turns 25 on May 14, was selected by the Yankees in the first round (25th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt University. He is batting .258 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 33 games at Triple-A and is ranked the organization’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Nicknamed “The Martian,” Domínguez signed with the Yankees for a $5.1 million bonus during the 2019 international signing period. He made his MLB debut in September 2023, hitting four home runs in eight games before undergoing Tommy John surgery after a torn elbow ligament.

After returning late in the 2024 season, Domínguez transitioned to left field. He played 100 games at the position last year, hitting .257 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs across 123 total games. He was not on the Opening Day roster this season but was recalled on April 27 after batting .326 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 24 games at Triple-A.

Entering Thursday’s game, the 23-year-old was 6-for-30 with one home run and four RBIs in eight appearances for the Yankees this season. -Field Level Media/Reuters