The New York Yankees are nearing the return of pitcher Domingo German, who has been working diligently to come back from a shoulder injury. German has now made five rehab starts in the minor-league system, with his most recent coming in Scranton with Triple-A.
German put together another stout performance, throwing four innings of no-run baseball. He allowed just one hit and struck out four batters over 53 total pitches.
“Feel really good. It was a good start, feel good physically,” Germán said Sunday, via Max Goodman of SI. “I feel ready to compete.”
The Yankees need German back in at the top level ASAP:
“That’s not a decision we’ll make for a couple more days at least because he’s not going to be ready to pitch for us for another three or four days anyway,” Boone said Sunday. “We’ll have those kind of internal conversations, see what makes the most sense, whether it’s one more or just bring him up now. But certainly another encouraging step for him, pitching as well as he did yesterday.”
German can provide reinforcements in multiple categories, whether it be as a sixth man in the starting rotation or as a bullpen piece.
“I’ve always been open to any role that the team needs at the time,” Germán explained. “I’ve been a starter, I’ve been in the bullpen. I’ve always had a really positive attitude towards pitching in any of those situations.”
The best thing about Domingo is that he’s capable of going multiple innings and building up a pitch count. That should help the Yankees when their starters struggle, but the longevity of his game can also provide even more rest for the bullpen.