The Pirates will select the contract of right-hander Domingo German from Triple-A Indianapolis prior to tomorrow’s game with the Dodgers, according to reporter Mike Rodriguez (X link). The move comes a day before German’s opt-out date in his most recent minor league contract with Pittsburgh.
It was just over a year ago that German began treatment for alcohol abuse, following a reported incident of an intoxicated German entering the Yankees’ clubhouse and arguing with teammates. The Yankees placed German on the restricted list and outrighted him off the roster following the season, with German opting to become a free agent. The trip to the open market led to his first minor league deal with the Pirates, and after his exercised an opt-out clause in mid-July, he re-signed with the Bucs a few days later.
German’s results in Indianapolis have been mixed, as he has a 5.29 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, and 10.3% walk rate in 68 Triple-A innings. Some of the heavier damage did occur earlier in his Triple-A tenure, though it could be that the Pirates’ hand is being somewhat forced by the pending opt-out date. It isn’t clear if German will start tomorrow’s game against Los Angeles, or if the Pirates might view him as something of a piggyback starter or long man behind an opener.
Mitch Keller, Paul Skenes, and Bailey Falter are lined up to start during the three-game series, so if German does get the start, he could push everyone back a day just to provide the regular rotation members with some extra rest. Pittsburgh doesn’t play on August 15 and then embarks on a string of 13 games in as many days, so a de facto six-man rotation could help keep everyone fresh for that stretch. Skenes’ workload has been a big subplot of his incredible rookie season and Jared Jones just started a rehab assignment and could be back from the IL in a couple of weeks, further shaking up the Pirates’ pitching plans as the club also tries to contend for a wild card berth.
German’s first appearance with the Pirates will mark his first Major League game with a team besides the Yankees, as the righty posted a 4.41 ERA over 522 1/3 innings with New York from 2017-23. German missed the 2019 postseason and the entire 2020 season due to an 81-game suspension for a violation of the MLB/MLBPA domestic violence policy, and his checkered resume also includes a 10-game suspension in 2023 for using foreign substances on the ball, as well as the aforementioned stint on the restricted list. In between those two absences last season, German entered the record books by throwing a perfect game against the A’s on June 28, 2023.
What a scumbag this guy is
Irrespective of your opinion, he deserves another chance… right?
If he goes off the deep end again this should be his last chance. He’s a solid innings eater when he’s on his game, so (0verlooking the baggage) a great piece to pull out of the couch cushions. I was upset he brought drama directly into the Yankee clubhouse but he deserves another chance to ply his trade. I hope he’s found sobriety.
No, some people of let’s say a certain complexion, they may as well be put to death, because if the right has their way, they’d never get a job or have a penny to their name.
But for others you can catch them red handed, and they’ll twist themselves into pretzels to explain how what you just saw never happened.
You live in your own head man, it is quite sad.
njbirdsfan always the victim , martyrdom is tough
As a Yankee fan, I wouldn’t want him getting another chance on my team.
He hit his wife, in front of a league official. He missed a start because he was too drunk to pitch. He laughed at a young pitcher who was getting demoted to AAA. He smashed a TV, flipped a couch and got in to it with teammates.
nypost.com/2023/08/03/domingo-german-was-belligere…
So no thank you. He’s out of chances with the Yankees. If he can get over his alcohol problems then sure, some team can take a chance and maybe he’ll even be a new man.
I have serious doubts though, and a 5.29 ERA in AAA doesn’t make me think he’s 100% here in 2024.
last I heard he isn’t playing for the Yankees so you don’t have to worry
Yeah there’s a reason he’s not on the Yankees.
except that this isn’t about the Yankees.
Do the Yankees trigger you somehow? Why are you so invested in trying to silence an opinion of a Yankee fan?
Yankee fans are who experienced German firsthand, so their opinions are certainly relevant.
no, the Yankees don’t trigger me but this article has nothing to do with them or do you suffer from reading comprehension?
There’s grade school level courses available if you’re interested in expanding that minuscule mindset
Another chance, or a second chance? Because he’s already had a 2nd chance. There a decent young team. I’m not sure I’d want to disrupt their mojo.
This scumbag should be a reliever and let his stuff play up out of the pen. I’m surprised no one has tried yet.
Bet you don’t know anyone who has ever dealt with substance abuse, right?
And domestic violence?
And it happened. You can’t undo it.
So either you decide this guy should be given a chance to earn a living, or you’d rather he be dependent on the government for handouts, which I know you conservative scumbags hate…
So which is it?
I’m not one to tell people what to do, but you might wanna calm the divisive and partisan rhetoric down, njbirds. You’re only making yourself look paranoid and displaced, just fyi.
Gwynning he’s not making himself look paranoid and displaced , he is paranoid and displaced at the minimum.
It was certainly a nutso response.
1-He’s made many millions, so I am not sure if he is going on welfare.
2-I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say the DV was related to alcohol, so maybe you can count that as one transgression. But the fact that he got violent in both incidences suggests he has repressed anger issues.
3-Good to know DV doesn’t bother njbirdsfan.
Would be nice if MLB would be more consistent with whether or not guys with “baggage” deserve second chances.
Sorry Harambe alt, Bauer isn’t getting signed this year. Try again in ’25!
But isn’t Bauer white? Surely he’ll get special privileges
You obsessed with Harambe. Always mention him.
Not obsessed, just merely pointing out that you two say the exact same thing all the time. The Bauer obsession is weird, but you do you buddy.
So now everyone that brings up Bauer is Harambe? You said it to that Mick guy too.
Yeah, well, that actually IS Harambe’s new account. Sorry for lumping you two together, but it really is quite strange that you guys keep beating that dead horse. Cheers amigo
So now everyone that has red hair and is holding a box of lucky charms is Mick?
Ugh, if they knew they needed a pitcher, then why didn’t they just skip Mike Burrows tonight? He’s already on the 40-man, so they wouldn’t even need to make a move for him.
you can question just about everything Cherington does and still walk away scratching your head
Everyone has pitching until they don’t.. The two rain delays killed their bullpen and wasted starts from Falter and Keller, who should be ready to go shortly as they only went 1-2 innings a piece. I hope German can provide something. At least he’s pitched in a high level in the majors. Gonzales needs to be out of the rotation.
Yeah they have keller starting tomorrow Skenes Saturday could have pitch Sunday bump falter or Monday bump Gonzalez
“ Gonzalez needs to be out of the rotation “
And Bednar needs to be pulled from the closer position
Bednar needs to stop throwing curveballs as the first pitch to EVERY batter he faces. He’s become totally predictable in his pitch sequencing because he’s always behind 1-0 when he misses with the breaking pitch, and he doesn’t seem to trust his other pitches to generate whiffs. So yeah, at a minimum Shelton should rotate between him, Chapman and maybe even Nicholas for closing games for a few weeks.
That being said, Bednar should have been pitching with a two-run lead yesterday. Cruz’s baserunning mistake really hurt them, and that errant throw doesn’t happen in the 9th because they would have still been leading 6-5 and probably win the game by that score.
Cruz is babied by Shelton when he makes stupid base running decisions.
After Cruz’ base running blunder yesterday Shelton high fived him in the dugout for driving in a run but never uttered a peep otherwise
A lot of people in Pittsburgh tearing Shelton to shreds but while I think he makes some mistakes, he’s been better and more instinctive with the bullpen this year. Even if you take Bednar out of the closer role, as he hasn’t been dominant all season, he still has to pitch somewhere, you can’t hide these guys forever. Nicholas and Stratton have looked much better recently but unsure how they will be in high leverage situations. Ideally, they should have let Beeks handle the 8th as he threw less than 10 pitches the inning before, and if he makes it through unscathed, use Chapman in the 9th, but every coach would go back to their closer after one blown save. ,
Bednar has blown more than one save and hasn’t had an era lower than 4 since the first week of the season
No Burrows because he has yet to “check all the boxes.” ♂️
They release Fleming, only to select German. Ugh
Release Honeywell and bring up Heller again.
Why?
I knew He and Chappy would end up doing time together in the same pen 🙂
Misery loves company
Who cares. Bednar will blow the lead.
Pirates need to do something. Because “this” just isn’t working. They added some potential offense at the deadline. The bullpen is tired & it shows
I remember half of the posters on here saying BDLC was this major upgrade and no one in their system should he off limits.
Yeah, how’s that working out? Just what they needed, ANOTHER hacker.
It’s amazing how many people are saying that a domestic abuser isn’t worthy of a throwing a baseball for a handful of games, but if they wanted to own a gun, you’d be all for it.
No law against owning a gun if you can get a permit , so what windmill are you tilting at now?
certainly not a windmill on the ocean, they kill whales
Dude, I don’t suggest this often, but you need to step away from the keyboard.. Maybe shut it down until after the election.
The Yankees had no problems with German beating up a woman, but after he got into a verbal dispute with some man, they got rid of him. Domestic violence is not a taboo, but getting into an argument or growing facial hair apparently is. Can anyone think of a classier organisation?
Gruß,
BSHH
Trevor Bauer is available.
His first and last start for the Pirates.
DOMINGO German gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. AROLDIS Chapman gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. ROBERTO Osuna gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. MARCELL Ozuna gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. JULIO Urias gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. ODUBEL Herrera gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. JOSE Reyes gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. JEURYS Familia gets a second chance but Trevor Bauer doesn’t. The MLB has a major problem and it starts right at the top
MLB hasn’t banned Bauer from pitching, the owners don’t want him on their teams
WHY is your KEYboard BROken
Bauer is that you
Bring on the Eurotrash