Domingo German gets another chance with the Yankees after serving his suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence protocols.
Aaron Boone said on Wednesday that he, general manager Brian Cashman and bank coach Carlos Mendoza had spoken to German to “welcome him” from his ban, adding that he would not be guaranteed anything this spring.
“We know he has paid a significant price from a career point of view, because he has really missed a full season plus now,” the manager said in a Zoom call from Tampa. “Hopefully that is over. We have the feeling. that he comes in in a good place and now it is up to him to go out and revitalize his career and fight for a place on this team … It has been a very long year to come back. “
The Yankees need as many quality weapons as they can get to support Gerrit Cole, and if a German can get back the form he had in 2019 when he won 18 games and threw 143 innings before his suspension, that would give a boost.
But German has to show that he can still be effective on the mound – and stay out of trouble off the field. He was suspended for 81 games in January 2020 for violation of protocol and missed the entire season, announcing that he would be leaving baseball – although he later took that back and pitched during winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
“Certainly nothing has been promised,” Boone said of German’s role on the team. “We will be there and try to support us because we can move forward to not only hopefully get the most out of himself on the hill and between the lines, but also to become the best he can be off the field. “