Yankees: 3 players who definitely aren’t returning by end of season
By Adam Weinrib

1. Domingo German
Remember when Domingo German was toeing the rubber at Fenway Park, six outs away from a 4-0 no-hitter? Good times. And then we neeeeeeever saw him again.
German’s position on this roster already seemed tenuous before his reported “setback” this week, which involved a bit more shoulder pain … and that’s all we learned before Aaron Boone packed up his suitcase and sprinted into the next room. Even prior to that new piece of news, who were you kicking out in order to accommodate him?
Luetge? Abreu? Holmes? Counting Gil, the Yankees have six starters for five spots already (Heaney’s been fine), so it’s quite likely a less-than-full-strength German would’ve been transitioning into a bullpen role down the stretch. As of now, we’re more confident in any one of those out-getters than we are in teaching German how to get nothing but high-leverage outs on the fly.
Plus, when it comes to a starter being inserted into that situation, we’re more comfortable with Severino — hell, or even Heaney or Gil, when the time comes.
Whether or not German’s latest setback is actually severe, don’t expect to hear his name too many more times down the stretch. He’s too closely associated with the worst moments of the Yankees’ first half, anyway.