More than three months after Domingo German was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball under the joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy, a decision regarding the Yankees RHP's domestic violence case is reportedly nearing an end.
The league is "coming down soon" with a "significant suspension" that is likely to be for more than a month, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Thursday afternoon. Upon the initial news in September, SNY's Andy Martino reported that a significant suspension was "a strong possibility."
German's administrative leave started Sept. 19, subsequently extended into the postseason Sept. 25 as the Yankees won the AL East and lost a six-game series to the Houston Astros Oct. 19. Ken Davidoff and Dan Martin of the New York Post reported Nov. 8 that an MLB decision on German's case could come in the following weeks, but nothing further surfaced into the end of December.
MLB placed German on administrative leave Sept. 19 as the league investigated what was an alleged domestic incident that occurred late Sept. 16 or early Sept. 17, following LHP CC Sabathia's charity gala, according to Martino. The incident involved a girlfriend.
The leave was set to last up to seven days, but MLB had the right to extend it as the league collected information and evaluated the possible suspension. A player who appeals does not get "benefit of a stay," as a source told Martino, meaning that German would not be able to play if an appeal occurred.
Two sources told Martino in September that the Players' Association, which has the right to contest an administrative leave, chose not to, for German's case.
"We fully support all measures being undertaken by the Commissioner's Office pursuant to the Policy on Domestic Violence," the Yankees said in a Sept. 19 statement. "We support this policy which reinforces that domestic violence has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated. We have followed the lead of Major League Baseball and will continue to provide our complete cooperation throughout the investigative process. We reserve any further comment until the investigation reaches its conclusion. All questions pertaining to this matter should be directed to the Office of the Commissioner."
The 27-year-old German last pitched Sept. 18. German was statistically one of New York's top pitchers with an 18-4 record and a 4.03 ERA in 27 games (24 starts).