Top Yankees prospect Jasson Domínguez will be out up to 8 weeks from oblique injury

Top Yankees prospect Jasson Domínguez will miss up to eight weeks due to an oblique strain he suffered just weeks after he returned to baseball from surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament.

The Yankees placed Domínguez on the injured list Sunday after he tweaked his oblique on a check swing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barr on Saturday. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday that testing confirmed a "moderate" oblique strain and followed up with a firmer timeline on Thursday, saying Domínguez will miss "significant time."

A slugging outfielder who was once one of baseball's most anticipated prospects, Domínguez has slashed .273/.374/.444 with 42 home runs, 167 RBI and 89 stolen bases in 318 minor-league games. He made a splash in his MLB debut on Sept. 1 last season, with a home run off three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in his first big-league at-bat.

Domínguez tallied four home runs, seven RBI and a stolen base in a sizzling eight-game stretch with the Yankees in September before a torn UCL cut his first MLB season short less than two weeks after his debut. He underwent Tommy John surgery on Sept. 20 and was given a 9-to-10-month timeline to return.

Domínguez returned to baseball in May on a rehab assignment in Low-A Tampa before joining the Double-A Somerset Patriots and eventually Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He slashed .389/.405/.609 in nine games at Triple-A before his injury. His return path to the Yankees wasn't clear prior to his latest injury and is even more muddled now.

The Yankees are set with arguably baseball's best outfield, featuring slugging MVP candidates Aaron Judge and Juan Soto alongside Alex Verdugo. Former MVP designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton could also play in the outfield if needed.

That said, Judge's status wasn't so clear as of Wednesday afternoon. Judge left Tuesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles after being hit in his left hand with a fastball. Initial X-rays and a CT scan did not reveal a fracture or structural damage, but his timeline for return wasn't immediately clear.