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Domingo German was back on the field with the other Yankees pitchers and receivers Thursday in Tampa to participate in the practice activities on the first day of spring, although some of his teammates may disagree.
Why? Because the 28-year-old Dominican pitcher convinced senior organizational officials this winter that he would become a better man while serving a one-season suspension in 2020. Managing partner Hal Steinbrenner, general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone believe it’s good. hander who won 18 games in 2019 before his September domestic violence incident has remorse and deserves this new opportunity to stay with the organization.
Some of his teammates may not feel that way.
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Yankees reliever Zack Britton didn’t beat around the bush on Thursday when asked how he was going to receive the German.
“That’s a tough question,” Britton said in an interview with Zoom. “I don’t think he owes me anything. I think those are things off the pitch that he needs to deal with. Sometimes you just can’t control who your teammates are, and that’s the situation. I don’t agree with what he did. I don’t think it has a place in the game or off the pitch.
It was a very powerful statement from one of the most respected players not only in the Yankees, but in all of baseball.
Britton recently tweeted a similar response in favor of a reporter who publicly said she was sexually harassed by a Baltimore Orioles player in 2012. Britton was on the Orioles that season, and hearing about the abuse of a woman seemed disturbing him as much as being forced to be the German’s teammate again.
“My job is to go out there and showcase and do my job,” Britton said. “So that’s what concerns me here. But (the German) owes me nothing. I think it’s something he will have to deal with on his own and make better choices in the future.
There are already red flags on the German state of mind. On Wednesday evening, he posted a strange “it’s all over” message in Spanish on his Instagram account. He quickly deleted that post, then wrote a new one in Spanish that said, “I’m ready”.
“He and I had a conversation (Thursday) about it,” Boone said. “I don’t feel able to tell anyone how they express themselves or anything (but) we definitely pay attention to that stuff.
“First and foremost, we want to make sure Domingo is in a good position. When I first heard about (Instagram posts on Wednesday) evening and saw it – it was brought to my attention – I was a little surprised and immediately concerned. But I feel like maybe it was a little out of context and a little over the top and I’m convinced he’s okay and doing well and ready to compete.
The German, who was 18-4 with an average of 4.03 in 27 outings in 2019, will not be awarded a spot in the Yankees’ rotation or even a place in the season’s opening list of 26. , Cashman and Boone recently said. But Boone and others will be keeping a close eye on the German, who apparently has work to do to mend relationships with his teammates besides paying more attention to his comments on social media.
“This is something that we will continue to monitor as best we can,” said Boone. “I’m trying to make sure he’s in the right place, but I had the conversation of trying to be as smart and demanding as possible about some of the things that we are saying publicly.
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