WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Believe it or not, Jasson Domínguez said that his otherworldly skills were not immediately apparent as a Little Leaguer; in fact, growing up in the Dominican Republic, the future ¡°Martian¡± was not able to crack the lineup regularly until he turned 11 years old.

There is a parallel to be drawn as Dom¨ªnguez rejoins the Yankees for Sunday¡¯s Little League World Series Classic against the Tigers, where he will make his long-awaited return to ¡®The Show.¡¯ In his first big league game of the season, Dom¨ªnguez will bat fifth as New York¡¯s left fielder.

¡°Every time I come up here, it¡¯s a blessing,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said. ¡°It¡¯s an honor. I¡¯m happy to be here to play this game, and I¡¯m happy that I¡¯m in the lineup today.¡±

Dom¨ªnguez was promoted as the Yankees¡¯ 27th man for Sunday¡¯s jewel event, a rule usually reserved for doubleheaders. The Tigers activated outfielder Riley Greene as their 27th man.

¡°With the off-day tomorrow and [left-hander Tarik] Skubal going, I just felt like to get another right-handed bat in there and having the luxury of having the 27th man for this game, I felt like it made some sense,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°I¡¯m excited to have him here and hopefully he can help us out tonight.¡±

Boone said that the Yankees plan to return Dom¨ªnguez to Triple-A after Sunday¡¯s game, when the roster will revert to 26 players.

¡°He¡¯s always an option,¡± Boone said. ¡°The last week or so, he¡¯s started swinging the bat better and gotten it going again. Hopefully he can continue to build on that, too, and continue to push himself into the conversation.¡±

The 21-year-old Dom¨ªnguez has not appeared in the Majors since Sept. 9, 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament and subsequently suffering a left oblique strain in June with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

He had been swinging the bat well of late in Triple-A, going 7-for-17 (.412) with a homer and three RBIs in his past five games.

¡°I was slow a little bit when I came back from the oblique, but right now I feel really good,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said.

Rated as MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 17 overall prospect, Dom¨ªnguez has been viewed as a significant prospect for years. The Yankees inked Dom¨ªnguez to a $5.1 million deal in 2019, when he was ranked as the top player in that year¡¯s international signing class.

Dom¨ªnguez reached the Majors as a 20-year-old when he was promoted on Sept. 1, 2023, homering on his first MLB swing against the Astros¡¯ Justin Verlander at Minute Maid Park.

Five days later, Dom¨ªnguez homered as part of a three-hit effort in his second game at Yankee Stadium. In his first eight games, Dom¨ªnguez slugged .677 and homered four times, giving hope that he¡¯d be an immediate fixture in New York's lineup.

¡°It helped my confidence that I can play at this level,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said.

But Dom¨ªnguez started feeling discomfort in his right elbow during his third game, which ultimately proved to be a torn UCL that required surgery. Originally expected to miss nine to 10 months, Dom¨ªnguez saw his timeline pushed back due to his oblique injury.

¡°There have been a lot of ups and downs, but that¡¯s baseball,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said. ¡°Sometimes you get injuries, sometimes you just struggle at the game, but you always find a way.¡±

It is expected that Dom¨ªnguez will rejoin the Yanks no later than Sept. 1, when rosters expand to 28 players. As a member of the 40-man roster, he would also be eligible for postseason play.

¡°I don¡¯t have any thought about that, really, because that¡¯s a thing that I can¡¯t control,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said. ¡°So it is what it is. I just focus on playing and doing my job. That part is not my job to do that. ¡­ I wish I had the answer for that question, but I really don¡¯t.¡±