German talks with Yanks in return from suspension
Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German finally faced his teammates Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.
The 28yearold who served most of an 81game suspension under baseball’s domesticviolence policy for a September 2019 incident, spoke with the pitchers and catchers as a group. He then came across the street to meet with position players, Aaron Boone said.
“I think it gave everyone a chance to kind of get in the room and really start that conversation,” the Yankees’ manager said. “... Now, I think the proof is going to be in what’s ahead, in how he is as a teammate and how he is and in life in general. And hopefully, we can all be there to support and help him become the best version of himself.”
On Sunday, the details of the incident leaked. That included German slapping his girlfriend at a charity event for former teammate CC Sabathia where much of the Yankees’ majorleague organization was in attendance. The report said the incident continued at the home German shared with his girlfriend until she locked herself in a room and called the wife of one of German’s teammates to come and help her. The incident was not reported to police.
At that point, the Yankees decided to postpone German’s first public comments until after he could address his teammates.
German is returning to a team that needs starting pitching. The Yankees come into camp with high hopes for their rotation, but concerns about injuries and experience. German went 184 with a 4.03 ERA in 24 starts and three relief appearances over 143 innings in 2019.
Mariners fallout:
Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais are doing damage control with players who were directly mentioned or referenced by former team CEO Kevin Mather in an online video that led to his resignation.
The message over the past two days to those affected has been: You have every right to be upset.
“We are very open with our players and urge them to be the same. And if they want to be angry, they should be, frankly. They should be insulted,” Dipoto said. “But at the same time, they are collectively driven toward what we’re trying to do here as a team.”
The video posted over the weekend showed Mather expressing his views of the club’s organizational strategy and making insensitive remarks about players during a recent online event. He took shots at Hisashi Iwakuma, a 2013 AllStar from Japan, and Julio Rodriguez, a top prospect from the Dominican Republic, for their English skills. He also admitted the team may be manipulating service time for some of its young players.
Mather apologized Sunday and then abruptly resigned the next day, but not before casting a pall over the organization as it began fullsquad workouts in Arizona.
Briefly: Travis Shaw signed a minorleague contract with the Brewers, giving them one more option for their unsettled situation at third base . ... Third baseman Jake Lamb, who spent the last part of the 2020 season with the A’s, signed a $1 million, oneyear contract with the Braves that is not guaranteed . ... Righthander Ian Kennedy, 36, signed a minorleague contract with the Rangers and will compete for a spot in their bullpen . ... Righty Julio Teheran got a minorleague contract with the Tigers and will report to bigleague camp.