Under The Knife 9/11/23
Remember. Salute.
No intro because …
JASSON DOMINGUEZ, OF NYY (sprained elbow)
Shocking news to start the day as one of the most exciting young players in the game joins Shohei Ohtani in line for elbow surgery. The Yankees announced late on Sunday that Jasson Dominguez has a sprained UCL, suffered nearly a week ago in his third game in the majors. He’s played through it, but symptoms got progressively worse. He’ll now head for surgery, likely with Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad. The indication is that he will have Tommy John (reconstruction).
One interesting note here is that Aaron Boone says the final straw was that he didn’t hit well in the cage. The UCL isn’t stressed by a swing, which is why Ohtani has continued playing, as did Bryce Harper last year. I couldn’t get an explanation on this, but my guess is that he had some swelling or pain with motion. This is very unusual, even in significant acute cases, so there could be more damage inside. Boone also said “we got him tested during the game.” Since there’s no MRI inside Yankee Stadium, they had to have made the initial diagnosis via ultrasound.
Dominguez had been hailed as the crown jewel of the Yankees farm system since signing, but was a surprise call up just over a week ago. With four homers in those eight games and a 980 OPS, the future is bright for Dominguez. The question now is how much time he’ll miss next season. His case mirrors Bryce Harper, so I would imagine that the timeline should as well, costing him at least a few months of next season and perhaps as much as half if the Yankees are conservative and get him at bats in the minors.
It’s a tough way to end his first run in the majors, but Dominguez now has his own Mickey Mantle-like early career injury. Dr. Jobe’s miracle will allow him to come back and play, missing as little as possible in what baseball fans hope will be a long career. It’s also a capper on what has been the most disappointing year for the Yankees and one that could re-shape the organization for Dominguez’s career.
CLAYTON KERSHAW, SP LAD (strained shoulder)
“Continued left shoulder trouble.” That’s what Dave Roberts said about Clayton Kershaw, pitching through injury and yet also the unquestioned ace of a short-handed and young staff. While across town, his buddy Matthew Stafford is reportedly (by his podcasting wife!) having trouble meshing with a new generation of Rams teammates, the same could be true for Kershaw given the age gap.