Yankees outfielder began a minor league rehab a signment Tuesday, per a team announcement. That effectively pre ses the start button on a 20-day rehab window before he must either be optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or reinstated to the MLB roster. Hes starting out in Cla s-A Tampa, though hell very likely move up the ladder over the next couple weeks. Quinn Priester Jersey Dominguez underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, so its fairly natural that Yankees skipper Aaron Boone that the 21-year-old will be limited to DH work in the early stages of rehab. This will be the first game action for Dominguez since early September, when he burst onto the big league scene with a promising .258/.303/.677 batting line in 33 plate appearances. Dominguez homered off notable big leaguers like and , ultimately popping four round-trippers in his brief debut before being diagnosed with a ligament tear in his elbow. Prior to that debut, Dominguez had split the season between Double-A and Triple-A, recording 507 plate appearances at the former level and 37 at the latter. He batted a combined .265/.377/.425 despite being just 20 years old. He was about four years younger than his average opponent in Double-A and more than six years younger than the average Triple-A player. Had Dominguez been healthy, the Yankees offseason could well have looked different. Theyd still quite likely have made an aggre sive push to land from the Padres, but its fair to wonder whether wouldve still been a prominent trade target with both Dominguez and projected to be healthy. It seems likely that would not have been the case. Now, with Verdugo, Soto and Judge all hitting well and still providing thump from the DH spot (despite a .283 OBP), its not as clear how Dominguez might fit onto the roster. Hed certainly be expected to outproduce the surprisingly anemic .069/.270/.172 line that has mustered thus far, but thats come in a sample of only 38 plate appearances. Theres likely some merit to the idea that a longtime starter like Grisham has struggled mightily with the move to such a limited role, but the minimal playing time hes received is the primary reason why Dominguez likely wouldnt be considered for such a role. Even if the Yankees felt Dominguez could outperform that pace (which they surely do), putting a touted 21-year-old in a position to get seven or eight plate appearances per week would be a poor move for his development. Whenever Dominguez is deemed healthy enough to be reinstated from the injured list, the Yankees presumably want him to be ticketed for regular at-bats. The current construction of the big league roster doesnt look ideal for that setup, though all it would take would be one injury to Verdugo, Judge, Soto or Stanton to open up some more substantial playing time. Of the current outfielders, only Verdugo seems even remotely plausible as a trade candidate, but hes produced a respectable .243/.329/.397 batting line (111 wRC+) while drawing more walks (11.4%) than strikeouts (10.8%). Thered be ample risk (to put it mildly) in moving a steady veteran enjoying that type of performance to free up playing time for a 21-year-old with eight games of big league experience, regardle s of his prospect status. Theres been some speculation about a potential Verdugo trade among fans and pundits alike, but such a scenario seems decidedly unlikely. Barring an injury in the big league outfield, an eventual minor league a signment for Dominguez feels almost inevitable. Hes still only played in 17 total games above the Double-A level. But with Verdugo and Soto both set to become free agents at seasons end and Grisham playing his way into a non-tender candidate, theres still a clear path to a prominent role for Dominguez in the long-term it just might not happen this season. will follow Dominguez in beginning a minor league rehab stint later this week, Greg Joyce of the New York Post. Its the second time hell start a rehab a signment as he returns from a season-opening injured list stay. LeMahieu joined Double-A Somerset on April 23 but was removed in the first inning after experiencing renewed sorene s in his right foot. The veteran infielder was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his foot at the end of Spring Training. and have split the third base work in LeMahieus absence. Cabrera started the season well before a recent slump dropped his batting line to .252/.295/.390 in 132 plate appearances. The speedster Berti is hitting .263 without an extra-base hit and only two walks in 41 trips. Luis Garcia Jersey