New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German has been placed on administrative leave under the joint MLB-MLBPA domestic violence policy, it was announced Thursday.
It is unclear what led to German, 27, being placed on leave.
“We fully support all measures being undertaken by the Commissioner’s Office pursuant to the Policy on Domestic Violence,” the Yankees said in a statement. “We support this policy which reinforces that domestic violence has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated.
“We have followed the lead of Major League Baseball and will continue to provide our complete cooperation throughout the investigative process.”
MLB and the Yankees said they would have no further comment until an investigation has been completed.
Under the joint domestic violence policy, a player can be put on administrative leave for up to seven days, barring an extension.
German is 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA and 153 strikeouts for the AL East leaders this season. The emergence of the right-hander, who has been by far the Yankees’ most reliable starter, has helped mitigate the underperformance of the veterans in the rotation.
Manager Aaron Boone recently said German would be a big part of the team’s postseason plans.
“I view Domingo playing a really big role for us in the postseason, hopefully,” Boone said Sept. 12. “There’s a number of different roles he could fill. I can very easily see him starting games. I can see him coming in for an inning in a big spot. I can see him giving us length out of the pen.”
Luis Severino returned to the rotation Tuesday, making his 2019 debut. However, the team lost reliever Dellin Betances for the remainder of the season after he tore his Achilles tendon in his left foot on Sunday.
The Yankees called up right-hander Michael King to take German’s spot on the active roster.
ESPN’s Marly Rivera contributed to this report.
