The 2021-22 MLB lockout affected injured players, because they couldn’t communicate any issues to their teams, and therefore treatments, surgeries, and rehabs were delayed.
This happened to San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., but New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German was a victim of the situation, too.
The right-hander had been dealing with a right shoulder impingement since January, but neither he nor the Yankees could do anything about it.
But after some rest and a long rehab assignment, a spot in the rotation finally opened up after Luis Severino was told to rest for a few weeks following a lat strain.
German threw 10 scoreless innings spread over multiple rehab outings, and is now ready to go.
“Jordan Montgomery will start game 1 vs Houston. Domingo Germán game 2 #yankees #astros, YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits tweeted.
Jordan Montgomery will start game 1 vs Houston. Domingo Germán game 2 #yankees #astros
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) July 21, 2022
A Reliable Option To Fill In For Severino
German is clearly not Severino, but he is talented enough to offer reliable innings for as long as Severino needs to be on the shelf.
He had a 4.58 ERA (50 earned runs allowed in 98.1 innings) last year after serving a domestic violence suspension for the duration of the shortened 2020 campaign.
German has some big fastball velocity (he can dial it up to 97-98 mph) and some excellent secondaries, including a curveball and a changeup.
His command, however, is known for being spotty at times.
Limiting home runs will be the key for his long-term success, but the Yanks have an army of pitching specialists ready to help German become the best version of himself.
He will get a tough assignment to start his 2022 season, though: the Astros at home is about as hard as it gets, and he will likely have to deal with the returning Yordan Alvarez, too.
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