TAMPA – Domingo German is still a Yankee after serving a mandatory suspension imposed by the Major League Baseball for violating the protocols of the domestic violence league, but that does not mean that his colleagues should be satisfied with that.
Zack Britton said on Thursday that he did not expect an explanation from the German about what happened that led to the ban, but also did not look happy that he was still around.
“I think sometimes you don’t get to control who your teammates are, and that’s the situation,” Britton said. “I do not agree with what he did. I don’t think it has any place in the game or off the field or not at all. ”
German and Britton both took part in the team’s minor league complex on Thursday and took part in the first training session of the spring after what was a very turbulent year for the German.
The 28-year-old was suspended for 81 games in January last year after an incident with his girlfriend in September 2019. He also missed 2020 and also appears to have retired from baseball in an Instagram post. last season before taking him back.
Then, on Wednesday, Aaron Boone said that – together with general manager Brian Cashman and bank coach Carlos Mendoza – he spoke to the German “receiving him back” in the team.
The German followed with another cryptic message on Wednesday night, indicating in Spanish that something was “over”, but later that night he deleted that message and wrote another saying “I’m ready” in Spanish.
Boone said Thursday that he spoke to the German again about the messages on Instagram and admitted that he was worried.
“It simply came to our notice then [Wednesday] at night and I saw him, he was brought to my attention, I was a little surprised and immediately worried “, said Boone. “It simply came to our notice then [it was] maybe a little out of context. A little exaggerated. And I’m confident he’s doing well and he’s doing well and ready to compete. ”
He also warned, “but it is something we will continue to pursue and, in the best way, we can try to make sure it is in a good place. But we had the conversation about trying to be as smart and picky as we can about some things we express publicly.
The German figures will be in line to compete for 5th place in the rotation, along with a list that includes Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt and Jhoulys Chacin.
On Wednesday, Boone said: “We feel that he is entering a good place and now he wants to go out and revive his career and compete for a place in this team.”
German does not make it easy with repeated mistakes, from the most serious to the least severe.
And it is clear that his colleagues took this into account.
“I don’t think he owes me anything,” Britton said. “My job is to go out there and play and do my job. So that’s my concern right there. But he doesn’t owe me anything. I think he will have to fend for himself and make better choices in the future. ”