5 bold predictions for the Yankees heading into an all-important 2024 season

Jasson Dominguez returns in early June, plays center field before end of month

Dominguez officially "went bionic" in late September, and his Tommy John surgery typically carries a 9-to-10-month recovery window. The question from the moment he went under the knife has been, "Okay, just how freakish is this guy?"

Last fall, it was easy to envision a slow transition. After all, Dominguez's big-league career -- while wildly impressive -- currently consists of about a week. If he was ready in late June or early July, would he "rehab" at the Triple-A level, get his swagger back, then return to the bigs sometime around when he debuted last year in September? It certainly felt possible.

But now that Aaron Boone has let the cat out of the bag with the headline-grabbing expectation that he thinks Dominguez might look like a "regular player" by spring training, even though he isn't throwing quite yet. The Yankees built up enough outfield depth that they have no need to race him to the finish line this year, but ... he'd certainly help. If Boone's estimations are accurate, we could see Dominguez in May. We're going to call them slightly inaccurate, but still hold out hope his explosive bat is just around the corner to lengthen the lineup.