New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German has been placed on the restricted list and will be away from the team for the remainder of the season as he takes steps to battle alcohol abuse.
The team made that announcement on Wednesday in a short press release.
“Domingo German has agreed today to voluntarily submit to impatient treatment for alcohol abuse. He will be place on the Restricted List for the time that he is away from the club. It is critical that Domingo completely focuses on addressing his health and well-being. We will respect his privacy as he begins this process,” the statement read.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the situation with reporters. Cashman said that German will not return to the team this season. He also indicated that an incident took place on Tuesday. But refused to go into further details.
“I’m worried right now for the person and the immediate family,” Cashman said.
German’s decision to enter a rehabilitation program comes nearly four years after an incident at a charity gala held by then-teammate CC Sabathia in which he allegedly slapped his girlfriend. According to a note from Lindsey Adler of the Athletic at the time, MLB’s investigation into the situation focused primarily on what happened at home later that night in September of 2019.
“According to multiple league sources, including a person with knowledge of the MLB investigation, Germán was intoxicated and became physically violent toward his girlfriend until she hid in a locked room.
The victim is said to have contacted the wife of another Yankees player, and the couple drove to Germán’s home late at night. The victim remained with the teammate’s wife, while the player attempted to calm down Germán, who is said to have been angry and belligerent.”
Report on alleged Domingo German domestic violence situation
German was ultimately suspended by MLB for 81 games for violating the league and Players Association’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.
After missing the entire COVID-shortened 2020 season, German returned to the Yankees for the 2021 campaign. He apologized to teammates for the incident in question during meeting that spring.
“I want to take this opportunity before answering questions to sincerely apologize to the Steinbrenner family, my teammates, the front office and those around me who love me. I have made mistakes of which I am not proud of, and for that I want to apologize,” German said at the time.
Set to turn 31 later in August, German was pitching to a 5-7 record with a 4.56 ERA and 1.08 WHIP before leaving the Yankees for treatment. He tossed a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics back on June 28.