TAMPA – Domingo German is still a Yankee after serving a mandatory Major League Baseball suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence protocols, but that doesn’t mean his teammates 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 he also did not look happy that he was still around.
“I think sometimes you can’t control who your teammates are and that’s the situation,” said Britton. “I don’t agree with what he did. I don’t think it has a place in the game or off the field or at all. “
Alemão and Britton were present at the team’s minor league complex on Thursday and participated in the first training session of the spring, after a very turbulent year and a half for the German.
The 28-year-old was suspended for 81 games last January after an incident with his girlfriend in September 2019. He lost the whole of 2020 and apparently retired from baseball in an Instagram post last season before retiring. it.
Then, on Wednesday, Aaron Boone said that he – along with general manager Brian Cashman and bank technician Carlos Mendoza – spoke with German “welcoming him back” to the team.
The German followed up 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 one that said, “I’m ready” in Spanish.
Boone said on Thursday that he spoke again with German about the Instagram messages and acknowledged that it is worrying.
“When I first heard about it [Wednesday] night and I saw it, it was brought to my attention, I was a little surprised and immediately worried, ”said Boone. “But I feel like [it was] maybe a little out of context. A little exaggerated. And I am confident that he is doing well, doing well and ready to compete ”.
He also warned, “but it is something we will continue to watch and, in the best way, we can try to ensure that he is in a good position. But I had a conversation about trying to be as smart and demanding as possible about some of the things that we publicly express. “
German figures must compete for fifth 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 in a good place to enter and now it is up to him to leave and kind of resurrect his career and compete for a spot on this team. ”
The German is not making things easy with repeated mistakes, from very serious to less serious blunders.
And it is clear that his companions noticed.
“I don’t think he owes me anything,” Britton said. “My job is to go out there and launch and do my job. So this is what my concern is there. But he owes me nothing. I think this is something he will have to deal with alone and make better choices going forward. ”