Prospect Domingo German Hurts Nerve, Not Ligament

In his first year back from Tommy John Surgery, pitching prospect Domingo German went for an MRI after he felt discomfort in his throwing elbow during a bullpen session on Friday.

German’s worst fear, was a re-injured ulnar collateral ligament that was initially torn a year ago. The righty is still rehabilitating from the injury. Through his translator, German said that he still doesn’t know the actual results of the MRI, but he’s confident the issue is not in the ligament itself.

“A little discomfort in the elbow, but fortunately it’s nothing bad,” he said. “Apparently it’s kind of a nerve (issue).”

German wore a bulky brace on Friday and it’s unlikely he’ll be on the mound anytime soon, but according to LoHud, he was laughing with his teammates and didn’t look like a guy who is worried about the injury.

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The 23-year old came to New York from the Miami Marlins in a five-player swap that also brought Garrett Jones and Nathan Eovaldi to the Bronx last season. The Yankees agreed to deal Martin Prado and David Phelps.

German has yet to pitch an inning in the Bronx, but the Yankees believe he will be in the rotation in the future. In 2014, German started 25 games for the Greensboro Grasshopers (Marlins Affiliate, South Atlantic League), going 9-3 with a 2.48 ERA along with 113 strikeouts in 123.1 innings.

Greensboro pitching coach Jeremy Powell speaks very highly of German believing in his ability to succeed as a Major League starter. According to Powell, German’s greatest attributes are his fastball that is in the 91-93 mph range when he’s starting, and his two types of sliders in his arsenal.

The first “type” of slider is thrown with a loose grip and acts much like a curve ball but with action that comes in on a lefty, and away from a righty. German’s second features a sharper break, but he overthrows it a bit, according Powell.

Powell however, sees German as a future reliever. And given the recent arm issues, the workload of a starter may be too much for the 6-foot-2, 175 pound prospect.

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“His body doesn’t profile to me as a big-league starter,” Powell said. “He’s a thin kid. He doesn’t have a huge physical presence. He doesn’t seem to me like a guy who can maintain 94-95 during seven innings. But (as a reliever) he could throw in the mid-to-upper 90’s with a really good put-away slider.”