Yankees' Domingo German reinstated by MLB after serving suspension
Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German prior to the start of a game against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 2, 2019. Credit: Daniel De Mato
SAN DIEGO — Major League Baseball officially reinstated Domingo German from the restricted list, where he had been since late last season after receiving an 81-game suspension for violating MLB's domestic violence policy.
The righthander will not be a participant for the Yankees in this year’s postseason run.
That had been determined last month when German was on the restricted list on Sept. 15, the date a player needed to be on a club’s 40-man roster to be postseason eligible.
But Aaron Boone, speaking a week after that, indicated German, who had 63 games remaining on the suspension when this shortened COVID-19 60-game season began in late July, was never going to be a postseason consideration.
"He hasn't gotten to work out with us or throw with us, so to be able to ramp him up and put him in this kind of situation, I don't think is really fair to anyone," Boone said Sept. 22. "We look forward to Domingo being hopefully a really significant part of our team again heading into next year."
The 28-year-old German led the Yankees in wins last season, going 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA. He was not eligible to participate in February for Spring Training I or in early July for Spring Training II.
He could be part of a vastly different 2021 rotation as Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ could all hit the free-agent market. Gerrit Cole will anchor a staff that also could have Luis Severino, who missed this season recovering from Tommy John surgery, as well as Jordon Montgomery and, potentially, prospects Deivi Garcia — slated to start Tuesday night’s Game 2 of the ALDS vs. Tampa Bay — Michael King and Clarke Schmidt.
