Fueled by caffeine, Domínguez seizes opportunity in 1st game back with Yankees

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TORONTO -- Jasson Domínguez arrived at Rogers Centre running on little sleep, having endured a complicated travel itinerary and fueled by enough caffeine to help him belt a homer in his return to the Yankees’ lineup.

In some ways, it felt fitting. Domínguez’s path to the big leagues has been marked by stops and starts, navigating detours created by injuries and a crowded outfield mix. For the moment, the 23-year-old appears to have something rare at this level: an open lane to show what he can do.

“Every time you can come and help the team to win, it’s awesome,” Domínguez said. “It was a long day for me. All that was in my mind was, ‘Be ready.’ It doesn’t matter if I don’t sleep or whatever. Just be ready to play and help the team.”

The Yankees’ initial plan was to have Domínguez play seven to nine innings on back-to-back days with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has been logging innings in right field for the first extended period of his pro career.

That changed in the sixth inning on Friday, when Trent Grisham sustained a strained right hamstring on the basepaths. Domínguez had homered that night for the RailRiders, and just before midnight, he received word that he was needed in Toronto.

Clutching his passport, Domínguez covered the approximately 120 miles from Moosic, Pa., to Newark Liberty International Airport for his 10 a.m. ET flight. The plane touched down on time at Toronto Pearson Airport. Domínguez’s suitcase was unloaded swiftly.

His bats were not, prompting a brief search.

“They took a long time,” Domínguez said. “They were on another belt.”

Finally, with his lumber in tow, Domínguez made it to Rogers Centre about one hour before the scheduled 3:05 p.m. ET first pitch. That was scarcely enough time to inspect the open roof on a brilliant early summer afternoon.

To combat fatigue, Domínguez said he reached for pregame reinforcements: two cans of Red Bull, four espresso shots, and a supplement drink.

“I didn’t get to prepare like I normally do,” he said.

No, but it worked. Domínguez produced the Yankees’ only hit off Kevin Gausman, backing Cam Schlittler by parking a fourth-inning solo home run over the right-field wall.

“It was good to see him have some quality at-bats,” manager Aaron Boone said, “and he obviously impacted us right away.”

With Aaron Judge and now Grisham on the injured list, this marks the second chance of the year for Domínguez to score playing time, something that was largely absent for him in the second half last season.

His first tour was interrupted by a sprained left AC joint, sustained while making a terrific catch crashing into Yankee Stadium’s left-field wall on May 7.

“He was playing so well before he got hurt here, so that was tough,” Paul Goldschmidt said. “I know it was tough getting sent to the Minors out of [Spring Training] when he probably deserved to be on this team. But we just had so many good players.

“Now, with injuries, thankfully we’ve got guys like him. We all forget how young he is, because he got to the big leagues a few years ago, but he’s going to continue to learn and continue to get better. We’re going to need him.”

Domínguez said he’s enjoying the vantage point of right field -- which is where he slots now -- with Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones set for reps in left and center, respectively.

“In Triple-A, I had a couple of fly balls, a couple of plays,” Domínguez said. “It felt pretty good. I feel like it’s better than left field when I started. Maybe the angle is better. … I did take a lot of practice down in Triple-A. Every day, I take fungoes. They made sure I was ready.”

After a standout spring ended with Domínguez on the outside looking in, Boone promised opportunities would come throughout the season, urging Domínguez to remain patient and work hard in the Minors.

“I think he’s in a really good place as far as his game,” Boone said. “He went down and got off to a good start, which is not the easiest when you’ve been in the big leagues. Never complaining, just putting his head down and working with a smile on his face.”

Domínguez will try not to make Saturday’s caffeine overload into a habit. But with a few more strong performances, the Yankees will be the ones buzzing.