Yankees weigh offense returns as Stanton and Domínguez approach rehab milestones

The Yankees’ injury timeline is beginning to look more manageable as Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez move closer to returning from the injured list, with one report suggesting both could be “in play” by next week. The club has not announced official activation dates, but the movement in their rehab assignments is meaningful for a team that has been forced to patch together production in the middle of the lineup. In the same development cycle, New York has also been managing the longer shadow of Aaron Judge’s absence, after his right rib injury was described publicly as a stress fracture that will keep him sidelined for weeks.

Domínguez, often described by fans as “the Martian,” is not yet back in games, but the current expectation is that his rehab will continue through the week. Manager Aaron Boone is reportedly hoping for a prompt return window tied to his next steps, which would be a significant boost for a roster that has needed extra athleticism and high-end upside in recent weeks. For the Yankees, a Domínguez return would not just be about a single bat, it would also be about reclaiming a defensive and baserunning component that affects how the team plays once it gets through the early innings without burning late-inning matchups.

Stanton’s situation is described as more advanced in the short term, with him reported to be running and hitting as his calf-related rehab continues to progress. The practical impact is that Stanton’s return would help stabilize the designated hitter spot and the club’s overall right-handed power profile, particularly when Judge is out. Boone’s comments in the coverage frame the next phase as continuing the ramp without rushing, which is the key detail. The Yankees have learned, sometimes the hard way, that a premature activation can backfire on both timelines and performance.

The broader context is that Judge’s injury has already changed how New York needs to balance offense during the season’s first half. According to Associated Press coverage carried by local outlets, Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right rib and will be shut down for four to six weeks before re-evaluation. The severity matters for team-building because it reduces the Yankees’ margin for error in games where they need more than a single lineup pocket to produce. It also increases the importance of getting other power sources back on schedule, even if they arrive one at a time.

Even without the full lineup at full strength, the Yankees have found a potential compensating storyline in Ben Rice, who has been highlighted as an American League MVP candidate in recent reporting. In the same Yahoo Sports package, a comparison to baseball-wide award conversations emphasized Rice’s early impact, including figures such as an 183 wRC+ and 18 home runs entering Monday action in that coverage. The Yankees are not treating those numbers as an award lock in June, but they are using the production to keep pace while their injured core works through rehab checkpoints.

Beyond the day-to-day roster mechanics, the “in play” language also carries a team-building undertone. The Yankees have long operated with a deadline framework that includes the idea of using prospects and additional depth as trade leverage. If Stanton and Domínguez return on a near-term timetable, the team’s internal trade math could shift, because it affects both roster spots and the relative urgency of adding offense externally. What to watch next is straightforward: whether the Yankees can convert “could be” language into official activation decisions, and whether Judge’s absence remains the primary constraint on how the lineup is constructed in the coming weeks.