Yankees’ Domínguez to keep progressing in Triple-A rehab as Stanton nears return

The Yankees used Monday’s lead-up to their Cleveland opener to give a fresh look at where two key pieces of their lineup stand in recovery. Manager Aaron Boone said Jasson Domínguez is set to continue his rehab assignment in Triple-A through the week, a step that keeps the center-field prospect on track to return once he finishes the final stages of baseball activities and evaluation.

Domínguez’s return timetable remains dependent on day-to-day responses to workload and the usual rehab milestones. Still, Boone’s indication that Domínguez will remain in Triple-A rather than shift immediately to a higher-leverage role suggests the organization wants more time to monitor consistency. For a player who missed extended time earlier in the season, those extra reps can matter as much as the calendar.

Boone also pointed to Giancarlo Stanton as moving closer to a return. The Yankees have been managing Stanton through a lower-body issue, and recent reports have described him taking additional steps in preparation, including live batting work, as he approaches the phase where he can rejoin a full-time lineup.

Stanton’s status is particularly important for New York because his bat offers a different kind of production profile than many of the options around him. When he is out, the Yankees have to lean more heavily on lineup combinations that can protect against left-right matchups and cover for the run-production that a power-hitting outfielder provides.

The context for these updates is a road series against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. A series in the American League Central often has standings implications, and for the Yankees it also comes during a stretch where roster flexibility can change week to week as injuries and form evolve.

Domínguez and Stanton represent two distinct recovery paths, but both provide a similar message: the Yankees are treating health-and-availability as a process, not a single decision. Domínguez is still in the innings-and-feedback phase of rehab, while Stanton appears to be transitioning out of the earlier restrictions and into more game-simulation work.

What to watch next is whether Domínguez’s Triple-A week includes any clear progression markers, such as an increased hitting workload and smoother defensive participation, and whether Stanton’s camp of activity continues to translate into a real return date that fits the Yankees’ immediate needs. If those developments align, New York could stabilize both its outfield depth and its long-term lineup construction as the summer schedule tightens.