Domingo German has returned to Yankees baseball after serving an 81 game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence protocols. German missed the entirety of the shortened 2020 season, and although Yankee fans might have missed him in the rotation, it seems teammates do not feel the same.
During the first zoom press conferences of spring training, reporters asked veteran pitcher Zack Britton about the return of German, and he certainly didn’t hold back.
Zack Britton on Domingo Germán's return to the Yankees:
"Sometimes, you don't get to control who your teammates are. I don't agree with what he did, I don't think it has any place in the game or off the field at all." pic.twitter.com/BjysY4XnS6
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 18, 2021
Britton made it clear that he simply doesn’t think there is any place on or off the field for the actions of German, and isn’t looking to make nice with the young pitcher anytime soon.
“Sometimes you don’t get to control who your teammates are and that’s the situation,” Britton said
Later, Britton doubled down on his stance while replying to a “fan” on twitter who asked why Britton was even concerning himself with Domingo, claiming that he still doesn’t know “the circumstances of what took place.”
Hah you think I don’t know the circumstances? Get a clue bud. Was asked the question BTW, gave my answer. Don’t care if you are sensitive to it. https://t.co/sIMBwkrFHY
— Zack Britton (@zbritton) February 18, 2021
The Instagram post
Before reporting to camp, German posted cryptic messages on Instagram.
On Wednesday, before reporting to camp, German’s posted “everything is over” in Spanish on his story before wiping his Instagram feed clean.
Soon after, German came back to Instagram and posted “I’m ready” in Spanish over a picture of Boone with the quote, “It’s time for Domingo German to resurrect his career.”
Domingo German now posted an Instagram story that says “I’m ready” on an Aaron Boone quote that reads “It’s time for Domingo German to resurrect his career”
His IG page also has a profile photo with his family pic.twitter.com/EQuDWPZ8wj
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) February 18, 2021
Boone admitted to the press that he is slightly concerned about German’s behavior, given that this isn’t the first time he’s used Instagram to post cryptic messages. He told reporters he had talked to German about the posts:
“I had a conversation about trying to be smart and choosy as we can be about some of the things we’re expressing publicly,” Boone said.
But Boone also ensured reporters and fans that German is, in fact, ready to get back to the game.
“I am comfortable that he’s doing fine and doing well and ready to compete. But it is something that we’ll continue to watch and as best we can, and try and make sure that he’s in a good place,” Boone added.
Boone might be showing confidence in the young pitcher, but it’s going to take some work for German to get back in the good graces of teammates and fans alike.
The question remains: Can Domingo German get back to who he was before missing 81 games, or is he just too much of a head case?
