German’s domestic violence ban will keep him out for regular season

NEW YORK — The Yankees will proceed through the pandemic-saturated 2020 micro-season without Domingo German while he finishes his domestic violence suspension. German received an 81game suspension in January following an MLB investigation of an altercation between the Yankees pitcher and his girlfriend. The league’s decision was applied retroactively to Sept. 19 — the date German was placed on administrative leave — a stretch that included a combined 18 regular-season and playoff games, leaving him with 63 games left on his ban.

Were there a regular, virus-free 162-game season, German would have been eligible to return to the Yankees on June 5, potentially rejoining the team’s rotation behind free agent prize Gerrit Cole, 2019 AllStar Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton. His suspension will cover the length of the 60-game season, which the league and union finalized on Monday.

The 27-year-old righthander emerged as a strong mid-rotation option during the 2019 season, winning a league-leading 18 games on the strength of a solid 4.03 ERA and knee buckling curveball. German roared out of the gate with a dominant 9-1, 2.60 ERA start, and was in line to supplement the Yankees’ bullpen for the postseason before the allegation surfaced.

If the Yankees advance to the postseason, German would miss the first three games they played before becoming a playoff option.

The Yankees had the option of bringing German to spring training despite the ban, but opted to have him work out on his own in his native Dominican Republic.

CATCHER AUSTIN WELLS AGREES TO $2.5M BONUS

NEW YORK — Catcher Austin Wells has agreed to a minor league contract with a $2.5 million signing bonus after the New York Yankees selected him 28th overall in the amateur draft.

Wells, who turns 21 on July 12, hit .375 with six doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs for the University of Arizona in a season cut to 15 games because of the coronavirus pandemic. He batted .357 with seven homers and 74 RBIs over 71 games in two seasons.

Wells’ slot had a value of nearly $2.5 million for the Yankees’ signing bonus pool.

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