Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday he heard “whispers” of an MLB probe into domestic violence allegations against pitcher Domingo Germán prior to his taking the mound Wednesday evening.
“I learned on the drive [to Yankee Stadium] that he was going on the administrative leave,” Boone told reporters after the team announced Germán’s shelving. “I heard some of the whispers and whatnot [prior] but this is a Major League Baseball investigation and issue. So we’re just trying to be as cooperative as we can while this goes on.”
Asked whether he had heard any of those swirling rumors prior to Germán’s appearance in relief of CC Sabathia in Wednesday’s tilt against the Los Angeles Angels, Boone acknowledged that he had, though saying details were hazy at the time.
“It was vague to me,” he said. “All I knew was Major League Baseball was involved in an investigation.”
And pressed later in the briefing to clarify whether he was aware that there was an active investigation when Germán last toed the rubber, Boone began to answer, but was cut short by Yankees communications personnel, saying they were in “shut-down mode” due to the pending probe.
Germán, 27, is under investigation for allegedly slapping a female partner Monday night, according to sources.
No police report was filed in the alleged incident, which was reported to MLB on Tuesday.
The previously pedestrian Germán has been a revelation for the Bronx Bombers in 2019, leading the squad with 18 wins and a solid 4.03 ERA in a season that’s seen the team rocked by injuries.
But with the loss of his most reliable pitcher less than two weeks before the start of playoffs, Boone kept his eye on the big picture.
“This is something that set baseball aside,” said Boone. “This is a bigger issue, obviously, and … when you hear the words ‘domestic violence’ it’s one of the things that stops you in your tracks.
“So set baseball aside.”