Yankees’ German placed on leave under MLB domestic abuse policy
NEW YORK — Yankees star pitcher Domingo German was placed on administrative leave under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy on Thursday, casting doubt over whether New York’s top winner this season will be available for the playoffs.
Manager Aaron Boone was informed of the decision while he was driving to Yankee Stadium for a game against the Los Angeles Angels. New York was in position to clinch its first AL East title since 2012 with a victory.
“Set baseball aside, this is a bigger issue, obviously,” Boone said. “When you hear the words domestic violence, it’s one of those things that stops you in your tracks.”
Details on what prompted the action weren’t disclosed. MLB said the leave “may last up to seven days, barring an extension.”
The Yankees are likely to begin the AL playoffs on Oct. 4 at home.
A 27-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic who made his major league debut in 2017, German entered this season with a 2-7 record in 14 starts and 14 relief appearances. He became a full-time member of the rotation after ace Luis Severino got hurt in spring training and is 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 24 starts and three relief appearances over 143 innings
Ramirez returns to BP
CLEVELAND — Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez took batting practice Thursday for the first time since breaking his right hand last month and is hoping to return before the end of the regular season.
Ramirez had surgery for a broken hamate bone Aug. 26, and the expected recovery window had him slated for game action in early October. The last day of the regular season is Sept. 29.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona said there’s no new timeline for Ramirez’s return, but it was encouraging that Ramirez felt good after swinging from both sides of the plate.
Ramirez is batting .254 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs despite a sluggish start. He hit .325 with 15 homers, 47 RBIs and a 1.045 OPS in the 53 games before the surgery.
The club is already without second baseman Jason Kipnis for the rest of the season, also because of a broken right hamate bone.
Cleveland is four games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central and a half-game behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card. The Indians trail Oakland by 2 ¢ games for the top wild card.