Yankees' Domingo Germán Elects Free Agency over Minors; SP Threw Perfect Game in 2023

It was an outlier performance compared to the rest of his season, but Domingo Germán threw a perfect game in June.

And he had to choose between the minor leagues and free agency in November.

The New York Yankees announced Monday that Germán was one of the players who chose free agency instead of being outrighted to the minor leagues. While the Yankees wanted to keep him in the organization with such an assignment, the right-hander will instead test his luck in the open market.

Germán made a number of headlines during his time with the Yankees, which dates back to 2017.

As Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports noted, he was suspended for 81 games in 2020 for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy after allegedly slapping his girlfriend. That meant he missed the entire 2020 season since it was shortened to 60 contests because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This past season, he was suspended for 10 games for violating the league's foreign substance policy after he was ejected from a game in May because of what one umpire said was "the stickiest hand I've ever felt," per the Associated Press.

Cwik also noted Germán entered treatment for alcohol rehab just five starts after his perfect game.

Germán's last start this past season came in July, and he finished the year with a 4.56 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 108.2 innings. It was the second-most innings he has pitched in a season during his entire career, as injuries and suspensions have prevented him from turning into a consistent and reliable starter.

On the field, he may have been at his best in 2019 with an 18-4 record, 4.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 143 innings. However, he struggled to replicate that impact in recent seasons and now heads to free agency at 31 years old.