Yankees' Jasson Domínguez undergoes Tommy John surgery; Michael King strikes out 13 in loss to Blue Jays
NEW YORK — Jasson Domínguez underwent Tommy John reconstruction surgery as expected on Wednesday, the Yankees announced. The procedure also included the addition of internal bracing, a newer method for repairing torn ulnar collateral ligaments.
“Officially bionic,” Domínguez, already known as The Martian, wrote in an Instagram post following the surgery.
Domínguez’s surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas. The 20-year-old center fielder’s anticipated recovery time is expected to take 9-10 months.
While it is more common for pitchers to have Tommy John surgery — their recoveries usually take 12-18 months — a few Yankees position players have had the traditional UCL operation in recent years. That list includes Gleyber Torres, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius.
When asked what advice he had for Domínguez’s impending rehab, Torres said, “Take time.”
“The recovery is really important,” Torres told the New York Daily News. “Do the right thing. Just do your exercise, rest.”
Torres went on to note that he had surgery on his left, non-throwing arm in 2017. Domínguez, however, had the procedure done on his right elbow, the one he uses to throw from the outfield.
“As a right-hander, it’s gonna be more work, for sure,” Torres said of Domínguez’s rehab.
Torres added that he didn’t start swinging a bat until seven months after his surgery.
Despite the addition of the internal bracing, the Yankees have consistently said that Domínguez is on a 9-10-month timeline, the standard for position players after traditional Tommy John. Boston’s Trevor Story recently returned to action more than seven months after undergoing the bracing procedure. Meister performed that operation as well.
Last week, Aaron Boone said that he expects Domínguez to be doing baseball activities by the time spring training rolls around.
“I’m sure he’ll be swinging, I would imagine, before we even get to spring training,” the manager said. “I would imagine when we see him in spring training that he’ll be pretty well into his baseball activities.”
Domínguez, one of the Yankees’ top prospects, played in just eight major league games before getting hurt. The small sample lived up to the excitement that has followed him since turning pro, as Domínguez hit four home runs before landing on the injured list.
King sets career high in loss
Prior to Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays, Boone said that, in his view, Michael King would enter the offseason preparing to be a starter in 2024.
Boone noted that winter moves could change the Yankees’ plans, but King continued to help his case by striking out a career-high 13 batters over seven innings and 101 pitches on Wednesday.
He also allowed five hits while walking zero.
While King looked fantastic, the Blue Jays were able to score one run off of him as Kevin Gausman held the Yankees scoreless in a 6-1 win for Toronto. Gausman, who has dominated the Yankees all season, struck out 10 while limiting the Bombers to three hits over six innings.
The Yankees’ lone run came in the ninth when Austin Wells launched his first career homer into the second deck in right field.
A Bo Bichette single, which deflected off of King, gave the Jays their first run in the third inning. Tommy Kahnle and Ian Hamilton then walked in runs in the eighth. Bichette and Spencer Horwitz added more RBI singles in the ninth.
