After being put on administrative leave on September 19th for a domestic violence incident in September, New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German has received his suspension from MLB. Joel Sherman of the New York Post, reports that the suspension will last 81 games.
Additionally, the suspension is retroactive and he will sit out for the first 63 games of 2020.
German was 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 27 games (24 starts) in 2019. He led the league in winning percentage, and he struck out 153 batters in 143 innings pitched. His ban is the fourth longest handed down by MLB for this offense.
Domingo Germán suspended 81 games under MLB domestic violence policy. Will miss first 63 games of the season because punishment is retroactive. #Yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 2, 2020
Domestic Violence in MLB
German becomes the 14th player to be investigated under the domestic violence policy since it was agreed upon in 2015, and he is the tenth since 2018. Of that group, German is now the 12th to be suspended.
Last season, two other players were suspended for the same offense. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was suspended for 20 games on May 13th. On May 27th, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera was also suspended for the remainder of the season.
Yankees Starting Rotation Outlook
Domingo German will return for the Yankees around June, but it is interesting to speculate how they proceed with him absent from the rotation. They do have several realistic options to fill the gap.
The team will be fine with newly-acquired Gerrit Cole anchoring the rotation and a healthy Luis Severino, James Paxton, and Masahiro Tanaka slotting in behind him. As for the fifth spot in the rotation, they could turn to J.A. Happ, Jordan Montgomery, Deivi Garcia, or Mike King.
Potential Replacements
Happ was 12-8 with a 4.91 ERA in 2019. He is under contract for at least one more year for the Yankees. That being said, it is reported that the team is open to trading him in order to create better payroll flexibility.
Montgomery only pitched four innings in 2019 after returning from Tommy John surgery. He enjoyed success in 2017 and before his injury in 2018. In that span, he pitched the equivalent of a full season, and he posted a 3.84 ERA in 182.2 innings pitched. His K/BB ratio was 2.65
King was the pitcher called up to take German’s spot on the roster when placed on administrative leave. He only appeared in one game, allowing one unearned run in two innings pitched. Currently, he is the Yankees 19th ranked prospect.
Garcia is expected to be in the Bronx at some point this season. He is the Yankees top prospect, and he is the 62nd-best prospect in all of baseball. Garcia pitched well at Double-A last season with a 3.86 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched. He did struggle once he was called up to Triple-A with a 5.40 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched.
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