New York Yankees’ top prospect Jasson Dominguez took a critical step in his return from Tommy John surgery on Monday: taking his first swings.

Per Merdith Marakovits of the YES Network on social media:

Jasson Dominguez took 20 swings off the tee today. First time swinging post surgery. All went well. Expects to do the same Wednesday #yankees

The 21-year-old made his major league debut last season, smacking four home runs in just 31 at-bats before getting injured.

He enters this season as the No. 41 prospect in all of baseball.

The following comes from his MLB.com prospect profile:

Domínguez’s signature tool is his prodigious power, which he generates with massive strength and tremendous bat speed from both sides of the plate. He looks to turn on pitches but won’t maximize his home run potential until he drives the ball in the air more regularly. Scouts are confused by his approach, which can look disciplined at times and too passive at others, but the bottom line is that he draws more than his share of walks while also accruing plenty of strikeouts.

Aaron Judge, Alex Verdugo, Juan Soto and Trent Grisham will be the Yankees outfield candidates until Dominguez returns, which should be around mid-summer. He could be a candidate to DH earlier but he won’t be cleared for outfield work at the major league level until that time.

The Yankees finished fourth in the American League East last season and missed the playoffs but after acquiring Soto and signing Marcus Stroman, they feel confident in 2024.

ESPN has hired journalist Jorge Castillo as its newest Major League Baseball writer ahead of the upcoming 2024 MLB regular season. He starts in his new role covering the New York Yankees and New York Mets with ESPN.com today.

An in-depth storyteller with a passion for baseball, Castillo joins ESPN after spending nearly six years with the Los Angeles Times, first as a Los Angeles Dodgers beat writer and then as an enterprise reporter.

“As someone who grew up consuming everything ESPN, this opportunity is truly a dream come true for me,” Castillo said. “I’m honored to join such a great baseball crew and excited to work with so many talented people.”

Based in New York, Castillo will contribute news, analysis, storytelling and live event coverage on the Yankees and Mets, with additional coverage of national MLB storylines throughout the season and postseason. He will also contribute on TV and radio.

Rachel Ullrich, ESPN Deputy Editor, ESPN.com added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Jorge to ESPN’s baseball team. He’s covered some of baseball’s biggest franchises in some of its toughest markets, and we expect nothing less from him in New York.  We can’t wait to add his incredible reporting, thoughtful analysis and creative storytelling to our talented team.”

In addition to his time with the Los Angeles Times, he previously covered the Washington Nationals and Washington Wizards for the Washington Post. He also spent time at The New York Times and The Star-Ledger covering baseball. A graduate of Yale University, he is originally from Massachusetts.