Domingo German’s future with the Yankees is in doubt after the right-hander posted a note in Spanish on Instagram Friday night that translated to: “I left baseball. Thanks my people.’’
German has 63 games left on a suspension he’s serving after violating MLB’s domestic violence policy last year. Even though only 60 games are scheduled this season, the league had said he would be eligible to play at the beginning of 2021 because he also sat out last year’s playoffs.
General manager Brian Cashman did not respond to a request for comment on German’s post. Earlier, German wrote in Spanish on Twitter: “Everybody writes their own story with two sides. I believe I wrote mine at Yankee Stadium. If I choose not to come back I will be proud of my hard work in 11 years of my career.”
A source said he spoke with German earlier on Friday and the pitcher did not mention the possibility of retiring.
Following the Yankees’ intrasquad game Friday night at the Stadium, Gary Sanchez said he hadn’t heard the German news, while Aaron Boone said he had no information about it.
“I know he’s in [the U.S.] visiting his child,” the manager said. “I just heard something like that [about his retirement]. I don’t really have much to say on the situation.”
If German has indeed left baseball, it’s part of a dramatic fall for German, 27, who rose to near the top of the Yankees’ rotation a year ago.
He was 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA over 143 innings in 2019 before his season ended in September following a violent incident with Mara Vega, the mother of his children.
German agreed to an 81-game suspension that included 18 games served last fall. Had this season progressed normally, the right-hander would have been eligible to return to game action on June 5.
— Additional reporting by Ken Davidoff