New York Yankees News/Rumors: Is Domingo German mentally stable?

New York Yankees, Domingo German
Apr 28, 2019; San Francisco, CA, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German (55) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankee returning pitcher Domingo German has added a new episode to his perplexing social media posts. On his Instagram account last night, he posted a cryptic message that said in Spanish, “everything is over.” That could be a sign that he still isn’t stable, or it could just be a mixup in his thinking, meaning his off-the-field bad behavior is over. But then, to make it more confusing, he deleted all of his previous posts and posted, “I’m ready to go.”

For those that have not been following the drama with German (Her-mon), after pitching to an 18-4 record for the Yankees in 2019, it came to light that he had broken the domestic violence protocol by slapping the mother of his children at a dinner in the Dominican Republic. The reason I say the mother of his children is that it is not exactly known if he and Mara Vega are legally married.

MLB investigated the matter, and the result was the MLB suspended German for 81 games for his bad behavior. That suspension didn’t start until the postseason in 2019. But he was not allowed to continue to pitch while the investigation was ongoing. Due to the suspension, he did not pitch at all during the 2020 season. He is now okay to pitch in the 2021 season, but during 2020 he made some strange Instagram posts.

At one point, he issued a post that said, it’s over. I’m retiring from baseball. He wrote, “If I decide not to return, I will be proud of my effort in my 11-year career,” leaving Yankees fans with the feeling he was at least thinking about leaving the game and the New York Yankees. The following night he posted an apology for the “unsettling” post.

“To my teammates, the Yankee organization, and our fans, I am very sorry for last night’s unsettling post. This past year has been very tough for my family and myself, for which I take full responsibilty. Not being with my teammates as they as they get ready for the season, knowing that I have let them down, has taken a toll on me, and last night I let my emotions get the best of me. Baseball is my life and I promise I am not walking away. I am using this time to get stronger and become a better man and father, and I can only hope I will be able to join my teammates once again and make them proud. Thank you to everyone and especially the Yankee organization for their support. Please forgive me for this mistake.”

Now with his suspension behind him, the question was would the New York Yankees allow him to rejoin the team. Early in the offseason, Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner made it very clear that Domingo would have to prove to him that he was a “changed” man before he would be allowed to return. That has apparently been accomplished. It is not known whether he had directly spoken to Steinbrenner, but he did have meetings with general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone, and coach Mendoza.

Boone, in a conversation yesterday, said:

“We know he’s paid a significant price from a career standpoint, really having missed a full season-plus now,’’ Boone said in a Zoom call on the day pitchers and catchers reported. “Hopefully, that’s behind us. We feel like he’s in a good place coming in and now it’s on him to go out and kind of resurrect his career and compete for a spot on this team. … It’s been a very long year coming back.”

Boone also clarified that “nothing is guaranteed,” he will have to show that he can still be effective on the mound and stay out of trouble off the field. His latest cryptic post may show that his emotions are getting the best of him again. Only time will tell, but you can be sure that EmpireSportsMedia.com will continue to follow the story.