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Trent Grisham cleared the bases with a double that put the Yankees in front to stay during a six-run explosion in the sixth inning.
Brendan Beck, called up a few hours prior, pitched around some loud contact and took down three innings in which he let up two runs in a successful major league debut.
The Yankees’ staff, which used six pitchers to stitch together nine innings during a game from which Ryan Weathers was scratched, did its job in a contest that became a 16th win in 19 tries.
A gorgeous and sunny afternoon filled with positive steps around the club was clouded by the step that ended with Jasson Domínguez face down in the dirt, concerns abounding about the mind and body of one of the organization’s most popular players.
A 9-2 Yankees victory over the Rangers in front of 42,729 in The Bronx on Thursday sure felt small after the first batter of the game sent Domínguez first to the wall in left field and later to the hospital.
On Paul Blackburn’s eighth pitch to Brandon Nimmo, the former Met smacked a shot that forced Domínguez to scramble back. He did not slow as he leapt, smashed into the wall and then smashed into the dirt, his hat and sunglasses tumbling off of him and the ball secure in his glove.
Domínguez was down for several minutes after completing one of the better and more gutsy plays a player can make. He was able to get up on his own but only had to take a couple steps to reach the cart. He was emotional upon being driven off the field, with multiple reasons for concern.
“The Martian” has a low-grade AC joint sprain but escaped without a concussion and will sidelined at least a few weeks, per manager Aaron Boone.
This season already had tested Domínguez, who did not complain when he did not make the major league roster out of camp — a near impossibility once the club brought back Grisham and Cody Bellinger — and reported to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he took out any frustration on opposing pitchers.
He performed and then was called up essentially to replace the injured Giancarlo Stanton in late April. In Domínguez’s third game, he exited in pain after getting drilled in the left elbow. In his ninth game, the concern level escalated — for player and team, whose immediate reactions provided a hint at what Domínguez means to the Yankees.
Bellinger ran over from right field and Grisham from center. So did Jazz Chisholm Jr., all the way from second base, and Amed Rosario from third. They huddled together on the warning track in left, nearby Boone and several trainers who were checking on Domínguez. Both dugouts were filled with players and coaches on the top step peering over at a player who has transitioned from a mega prospect to a smiley and talented athlete trying to prove himself at the highest level.
If Domínguez misses significant time, the Yankees would have options. It is possible that Spencer Jones, who has been performing with SWB, would get the call. Also in play could be the recently optioned Anthony Volpe, given that Rosario and Max Schuemann are infielders who can be flexed to the outfield.
The Yankees (26-12), who were the last team in baseball to have to use the injured list during the regular season, suddenly are banged up and are testing their depth.
Stanton has been shelved for two weeks and still is not running after straining his calf. Ben Rice, while still on the active roster, missed a fourth straight game with a hand contusion. José Caballero’s swollen elbow prompted Schuemann to make his first start at shortstop, though Caballero subbed in for the eighth inning.
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