Yankees right-hander Domingo German will not pitch for the Yankees again in 2019 following his placement on the administrative leave this week. That includes the remainder of the regular season and any postseason games, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that German had been put on administrative leave under the league and Major League Baseball Player Associations' domestic violence policy. Olney reports that while the case is not fully resolved administratively, he will be on the shelf for the rest of the year. Here's MLB's statement in full:
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán has been placed on Administrative Leave under the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy. Per the policy, the initial period of Administrative Leave may last up to seven days, barring an extension.
Major League Baseball's Department of Investigations has commenced an investigation into the matter that led to his placement on Administrative Leave. MLB will have no further comment until the investigation is complete.
The Yankees also commented on the situation:
"We fully support all measures being undertaken by the Commissioner's Office pursuant to the Policy on Domestic Violence. We support this policy which reinforces that domestic violence has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated. We have followed the lead of Major League Baseball and will continue to provide our complete cooperation throughout the investigative process. We reserve any further comment until the investigation reaches its conclusion. All questions pertaining to this matter should be directed to the Office of the Commissioner."
On Thursday, the Yankees clinched the American League East for the first time since 2012 with their 100th win of the season. Manager Aaron Boone told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that the Yankees' will make plans for the playoffs that do not include German. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, meanwhile, declined to comment about German.
German, 27, is 18-4 on the season with a 4.03 ERA in 143 innings. He most recently pitched 2 1/3 innings Tuesday night.
It was expected that German was going to have a crucial role with the Yankees during their playoff run. Boone previously suggested that German could start postseason games, but also hinted at other roles German could fill, such as being used for one inning out of the bullpen, or serving as a long reliever. On Thursday, the Yankees announced that they placed right-hander Michael King on their roster in German's spot. King posted a 3-1 record with a 4.18 ERA in 23 2/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
German was signed by the then Florida Marlins as an international free agent in 2009. In 2014, he was traded along with Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones to the Yankees for Martin Prado and David Phelps. German missed the 2015 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and made his MLB debut in 2017.
Neither the Yankees nor MLB released any additional details about what led to the investigation, and there is no telling how long it could be before German is disciplined, if at all.
MLB and MLBPA's joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy first went into effect in August 2015. Since then, 14 players including German have been investigated by the league. The suspensions have varied in length, from a 15-game suspension to a 100-game suspension without pay. Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera and Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias were both found in violation of the policy earlier this season.
In July, MLB announced that Herrera would be suspended the remainder of the season. In August, MLB announced that Urias would receive a 20-game suspension. This past March, MLB also suspended San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer after he was caught on video pushing his wife to the ground.