Domingo German refuses assignment, becomes free agent

NEW YORK -- Domingo German became a free agent Monday when he refused an outright assignment to the minor leagues from the New York Yankees, five months after he pitched major league baseball's 24th perfect game and three months after he entered alcohol abuse treatment.

German pitched the perfect game at Oakland on June 28, part of a season in which he went 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 19 starts and one relief appearance. His season ended Aug. 2, when he was placed on the restricted list two days before his 31st birthday. The Yankees said they made the move as he was entering treatment.

German is 31-28 with a 4.41 ERA in 89 starts and 23 relief appearances over six seasons. He would have been eligible for salary arbitration had he remained on the roster.

He served a 10-game suspension in May after getting ejected from a game at Toronto for using a banned sticky substance on the mound. He also was suspended 81 games by Major League Baseball in 2019 and 2020 for violating the sport's domestic violence policy.

Right-handers Matt Bowman, Jimmy Cordero and Ryan Weber also refused outright assignments and became free agents along with infielder/outfielder Franchy Cordero and outfielder Billy McKinney. All would have been eligible for arbitration had they stayed on the roster.