Yankees young star Jasson Dominguez has UCL tear and is looking at Tommy John surgery

NEW YORK – A nightmarish 2023 Yankees season took a cruel turn Sunday, as rookie star Jasson Dominguez was diagnosed with a torn right ulnar collateral ligament.

“Definitely very shocking news,’’ Dominguez said softly through an interpreter.

Dominguez’s injury will impact a significant portion of the 2024 season; the timeline for a position player’s return from Tommy John surgery is 9-10 months, according to manager Aaron Boone.

That would put Dominguez, 20, roughly in line to return just before next year's All-Star break.

News of Dominguez’s devastating injury arrived after the Yankees were no-hit through 10 innings by Corbin Burnes and two Milwaukee Brewers relievers, only to prevail 4-3 in 13 innings on Kyle Higashioka's first MLB walk-off hit.

In a year where so much has gone wrong for the last-place Yankees (71-72), Dominguez’s hot start to his MLB career – with four homers in his first eight games – represented some hope for 2024.

Now, Dominguez says “the plan is to go through surgery as soon as possible and try to recuperate as soon as possible.’’

Timeline of Jasson Dominguez's elbow injury

Dominguez said he first experienced elbow discomfort last Sunday at Houston.

“Felt like something wasn’t right, but not preventing me (from playing),’’ said Dominguez, who informed the Yankees medical staff Wednesday of an elbow ache that became “progressively worse.’’

Dominguez was scratched from Sunday afternoon’s lineup against the Brewers after a lackluster pregame batting session in the indoor cages.

“He couldn’t pop the ball or really hit it hard,’’ said Boone, which prompted the club to send Dominguez for testing during the game.

“Never expected this to be the result,’’ said Dominguez. “Now, understanding what happened, you hae to (move) forward.’’

Dominguez had not experienced any elbow pain prior to last Sunday’s soreness at Houston, and he does not believe that one particular throw or swing did the damage.

Aaron Boone: "(I'm) crushed for him''

Widely regarded as one of the Yankees’ top two prospects this year, Dominguez – promoted from Class AA Somerset – played nine games at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before his call-up on Sept. 1.

According to Elias, Dominguez became the fifth youngest player in MLB history to hit a home run in his first at-bat, connecting off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

Dominguez’s four homers in his first seven games matched Shelley Duncan’s 2007 start in franchise history.

Duncan was Dominguez’s manager at Triple-A this year.

“A really good experience,’’ Dominguez said of his first eight games as a Yankee, which included two home runs at Yankee Stadium.

“(I’m) fortunate. Fortunate to be here and be able to play those eight games and really see how it is inside this clubhouse in the big leagues.’’

In speaking with Dominguez privately, Boone said the rookie is already handling this “as well as you might expect’’ and that he’ll have a lot of support in his recovery.

Still, “(I’m) crushed for him,’’ said Boone. “At the same time, he’s a young man and these things resolve themselves.

“It’s a moment in time in the grand scheme of things, in what we feel has a chance to be an excellent career. It’s about taking care of it now.’’

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jasson Dominguez injury: Yankees star has UCL tear, meaning Tommy John surgery