Yankees Should Be Ashamed of Letting Domingo German Pitch After 'Whispers' of Domestic Violence

Everything the New York Yankees said publicly on Thursday was above board (though it rang somewhat hollow), after news broke that pitcher Domingo German was being placed on administrated leave pending a domestic violence investigation.

That is, until Aaron Boone let one slip.

Mid-afternoon Thursday, while Boone was recounting the timeline of his personal experience of German's incident, he revealed that, although he hadn't known of the MLB's decision until moments beforehand, he'd heard whispers about the incident over the past few days.

Aaron Boone said that he learned about Domingo German being placed on administrative leave during his drive to the park today, but he had “heard the whispers” prior to that.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) September 19, 2019

Shortly before hearing it from Boone personally, we heard similar whispers, and ones that contained a great bit more detail -- reportedly, this incident was escalated swiftly to Major League Baseball's Commissioner's Office because...it actually took place in public.

Per Yahoo's story: MLB didn’t release details about what led to the investigation, but sources told Yahoo Sports that German had a physical altercation with his girlfriend late Monday/early Tuesday at CC Sabathia’s LegaCCy Gala in New York City.
— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzYahoo) September 19, 2019

Reports emerged that the incident was witnessed by a league official...

I’m told the incident involving Domingo German and his girlfriend occurred late Monday night/Tuesday morning in a public setting - he allegedly slapped her during an argument. According to an MLB source, the incident was witnessed by an official from the Commissioner’s office.
— Bob Klapisch (@BobKlap) September 19, 2019

...though the league itself claims no relation to the witness.

Continued: It was reported to MLB by a witness on Tuesday morning. That witness was not employed by MLB, according to the same source. It is unknown if video of the alleged assault exists or if MLB is attempting to acquire video.
— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzYahoo) September 19, 2019

As it stands, German is off the roster for at least seven days, and likely more, as the league's investigation escalates. The Yankees are making every plan to remove him from their potential postseason roster, as is certainly their duty, at this juncture.

And yet, one blemish remains: after an incident public enough to be catalogued by the eyes of a nearby witness, the Yankees sent German to the mound on Wednesday night, following CC Sabathia's emotional exit.

New York Yankees starter Domingo Germán's availability to pitch in the postseason is in jeopardy, sources tell ESPN. The agreement between MLB/MLBPA to place Germán on administrative leave despite the lack of a police report indicates potential seriousness of domestic incident.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 19, 2019

Even if all Boone had heard were the whispers he confesses to, this hardly sits right.

Though the on-field action turned sour in the sixth inning Wednesday night, the game began as a coronation. With a magic number of just one, and CC Sabathia's final home start of the regular season on the docket, New York was in prime position to celebrate, and craft indelible images to follow them on their postseason journey and beyond. With the optics in mind (this wasn't just a regular Wednesday in September, after all), they entrusted German with the ball, someone who it seems, in a public display a few nights prior, had deemed himself unfit for a roster spot, let alone employment.

The league has made sure to put an abrupt halt into German's role on this playoff-bound team while all identities and details are sorted. But though the Yankees played the sage with their PR work and horrified public reactions, they heard the noise and still allowed German one more glistening night in the spotlight, presumably with the intention of earning him...the win. That simply must be addressed.