Yankees, Blue Jays Injury Ripple Effects on AL East

Mar 10, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Yankees, Blue Jays Injury Ripple Effects on AL East

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 10:17 PM ET

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Don't look now, but things are about to get much more interesting in the American League East.

The AL East typically is one of the strongest divisions in baseball. This season, it hasn't been as much. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays have been strong, but the rest of the division has struggled overall. Right now, the Yankees are in first place in the division at 20-11. The Rays are in second place in the division, to the surprise of many, at 18-12. The Baltimore Orioles are in third place in the division at 14-15. The Toronto Blue Jays are in fourth place at 14-16. And, the Boston Red Sox are in the basement at 12-19.

New York is the best team in the American League by far right now at 20-11. The Rays have the second-most wins in the American League right now at 18 and then the Cleveland Guardians have the third-most at 16. Overall, it's been a weird year for the American League.

But things are specifically going to get a little more interesting in the AL East in the short term. The Blue Jays, who won 94 games last year and made it to Game 7 of the World Series, have now gotten Trey Yesavage and George Springer back over the last few days from injuries.

The New York Yankees Outfielder Is Up In The air

On the other hand, the Yankees got a bit of tough news on the injury front. The Yankees had to place Giancarlo Stanton on the Injured List due to a calf injury. In the meantime, the expectation was that Jasson Domínguez would get an opportunity to show what he can do in the majors. Last season, he played in 123 games and slashed .257/.331/.388 with 10 homers, 47 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. He didn't make the big league club out of Spring Training this season, though.

He was promoted to the big league roster on April 27 and now is up in the air. He was forced to exit New York's contest on Wednesday with a "left elbow contusion" and now needs to undergo more testing after his X-rays came back "inconclusive," per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

"Jasson Domínguez (left elbow contusion) said X-rays were inconclusive. He will undergo a CT scan tomorrow in New York," Hoch wrote.

The Yankees already lost a key cog in the lineup in Stanton. Domínguez was supposed to help plug the hole. If he now needs to miss time, the Yankees will need to look for offense elsewhere.

The Blue Jays and Yankees were the two best teams in the AL East in 2025. While the Blue Jays started the season off slowly, they're finally starting to get healthy. New York is trending in the opposite direction from a health perspective. Don't count out Toronto making things a bit more interesting and close here.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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