New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán placed in treatment center for alcohol abuse. What do we know?

Though the situation is sad, with the Yankees star being ruled out for the rest of the season, the reality is that it’s now clear that he needs help. One can only hope that the team’s move will put him on the path to doing exactly that.

Yankees’ Domingo Germán enters center for alcohol abuse

According to an official team announcement on Wednesday, New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán entered a treatment center for alcohol abuse. The news comes on the back of an outstanding performance by Germán last month, when he threw a perfect game against the Oakland A’s. It is understood that the 30-year-old will now be placed on the restricted list. To that extent, he will not pitch for the remainder of the year as confirmed by Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman. “It is critical that Domingo completely focuses on addressing his health and well-being,” the Yankees said in a statement. “We will respect his privacy as he begins this process.”

Incidentally, Germán was removed from his scheduled start for the Yankees on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays due to what was reported as discomfort in his armpit. He would later return to the mound where he proceeded to pitch five innings in what turned out to be a 5-1 loss. Following the game he indicated that he felt fine and that the team had decided not to start him as a precaution. On Wednesday, Cashman explained that Monday’s move had no relation to Germán’s current situation, but rather was the result of something that the player has dealt with before and that a “recent situation emerged” Tuesday that Cashman described as “ground zero” for the problem. Cashman also stated - without details - that the team only became aware of the situation after the trade deadline had passed. “Hopefully the steps that are being taken today will benefit him for the remaining part of his life...I’m just worried right now for the person and for the immediate family,” Cashman said.

Domingo Germán: A mix of perfection and problems

As mentioned above, Germán threw a perfect game in a win against the A’s just last month, a feat that marked him as the 24th pitcher to do so in Major League Baseball history and the first in 11 years. That 11-0 victory over Oakland in June was the fourth perfect game in Yankees history and was incredibly completed by Germán on 99 pitches. Sadly, it was a brief and bright moment amidst a number of controversial ones. Back in May the Dominican was suspended for 10 games after he was found to have violated the league’s foreign substance policy, which only served to compound the struggles he was already having across the campaign, something that was evidenced by the fact that fans booed him off the mound less than a week before his perfect game. You may also recall that Germán missed the entire 2020 season after being suspended for domestic violence. Needless to say, this is a difficult moment for the Yankees who have now lost six of their last seven games and sit at the bottom of the AL East. On the other hand, it’s surely even more so for their pitcher.