NEW YORK -- Ineligible to pitch during the 2020 regular season, Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán appears to be contemplating retirement, according to a cryptic post on the hurler’s Instagram account.
“Me fui del baseball. Gracias mi gente,” Germán wrote in his Instagram story, which translates to “I’ve left baseball. Thanks everyone.”
In a separate post, Germán wrote in Spanish: “Some people make history on both sides, I think I did my part at Yankee Stadium, if I decide not to come back, I will be very proud of my 11-year professional career. God bless everyone who has supported me."
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about the post following Friday’s intrasquad game.
"I know he's in the States visiting his child right now," Boone said of Germán, who posted recent photos in St. Petersburg, Fla. "Beyond that, I don't really know much. I just heard something like that, but I don't really have much to say about the situation."
Germán, who turns 28 in August, accepted an 81-game unpaid suspension in January following a lengthy investigation under the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy. The hurler missed the final nine games of the 2019 regular season and nine postseason contests while on administrative leave, which were counted toward his 81 games.
With 63 games remaining on his suspension, Germán is not eligible to pitch during the upcoming 60-game regular season. However, MLB has confirmed that Germán could be active for the 2020 postseason since he already missed the ’19 postseason.
The hurler agreed not to appeal the suspension, which ranks among the most substantial levied by the Office of the Commissioner since the league’s Domestic Violence Policy was instituted in 2015. The Braves’ Hector Olivera (82 games in 2016), the Phillies’ Odubel Herrera (85 games in 2019) and the Padres’ Jose Torres (100 games in 2018) have received similar bans.
MLB’s investigation was prompted by Germán’s actions on Sept. 16 of last year, when he allegedly had a physical confrontation with the mother of his children. That evening, Germán and most of the Yankees’ roster had attended a black-tie gala for CC Sabathia’s PitCCh In Foundation in New York.
Germán was a key contributor to the Yankees’ 2019 campaign, posting an 18-4 record with a 4.03 ERA and 153 strikeouts over 143 innings. His .818 winning percentage led the Majors.