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NEW YORK — Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán said Sunday he probably will use less rosin on his hands when he returns from a 10-game suspension for using a foreign substance on the mound.

Germán was suspended by Major League Baseball on May 17 and will return to the Yankees’ rotation for Monday’s game in Seattle.

“You have to do something different because what I did before got me ejected from the game,” he said through an interpreter. “Probably go back to previous years before where I used it way less.”

Germán was disciplined after being ejected in the fourth inning of New York’s 6-3 win in Toronto on May 16. He retired the first nine hitters before his hands were checked by first-base umpire D.J. Reyburn as Germán headed to the mound for the fourth inning.

After the game, crew chief James Hoye said Germán had “the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt.”

Hoye’s crew also examined Germán’s hands during an April 15 start against Minnesota, when the right-hander retired his first 16 batters, but allowed him to stay in that game. Hoye had asked Germán to wash rosin off his hand and some had remained on his pinkie.

Germán said Sunday he has not gotten a direct explanation of what is the appropriate amount of rosin to use.

“As far as like a direct explanation on how much to use or not, I haven’t gotten a better explanation from MLB or the umpires,” he said. “To me, I have to keep using it, understand how much to use and keep a balance, but at the same time I’ve got to keep preparing myself to pitch and keep my routine in between starts to get me in the right shape for the next start and just keep using the rosin bag and try to keep executing pitches.”

Germán was the fourth pitcher suspended since MLB began cracking down on foreign substances in June 2021 and the second this season. New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer also served a 10-game suspension after being ejected April 19 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

In 2021, Seattle’s Hector Santiago and Arizona’s Caleb Smith served suspensions for sticky substances.

“He has to avoid that and that’s us being more vigilant and check and make sure we’re in a good spot,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Germán. “We should be fine, but I think that’s the one thing about this: What is the line, there is no defined line, you can’t have sticky [substances] on your hands. So he’s got to be mindful of that.”

German is 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA in nine starts this season. He is 28-24 with a 4.31 ERA in 101 career appearances (79 starts) since making his major league debut in 2017 with the Yankees.

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Source: Snell lands 2-year, $62M deal with Giants

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Source: Snell lands 2-year, M deal with Giants

Blake Snell‘s prolonged free agency has ended.

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner agreed to a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants on Monday, 10 days before his new team opens its regular season against his former one, the San Diego Padres, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal includes an opt-out after the first season.

Snell’s deal — like those of fellow Scott Boras clients Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman, both of whom signed after spring training began — gives him a higher average annual value in exchange for fewer length on his contract, but also allows him to re-enter free agency with the hope of experiencing a more robust market next offseason.

Snell completes what has been a busy offseason for the Giants, who have made the playoffs only once in the past seven years and strived to acquire more star power for a team now led by three-time manager of the year Bob Melvin.

The Giants added a new center fielder and leadoff hitter in Korea’s Jung Hoo Lee, who signed a six-year, $113 million deal in December, and a new middle-of-the-order bat in Jorge Soler, who was given a three-year, $42 million deal in February. They also traded for former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, who won’t return until the second half as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, and signed Jordan Hicks, who will convert to a full-time starting pitcher.

But their biggest moves came late, when they landed Chapman on March 1 with a three-year, $54 million deal that includes two opt-outs, 18 days before agreeing to bring in Snell.

Snell, 31, spent the past three years with the Padres and will now return to a division that saw the Los Angeles Dodgers splurge more than $1.2 billion in an offseason headlined by Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

Snell threw a four-inning simulated game from his hometown of Seattle on Friday. The Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees were among the teams most frequently linked to Snell, but ultimately the Giants’ short-term offer won out.

Snell is one of seven pitchers who have won the Cy Young Award in both the American League and National League, taking home the trophy in 2023 after going 14-9 with an MLB-best 2.25 ERA for San Diego. He received 28 of 30 first-place votes.

In 2018, Snell got 17 of 30 first-place votes after posting a 1.89 ERA in 31 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays to beat out Justin Verlander.

Snell has long been renowned for having some of the nastiest stuff of any left-hander in the game, with a vicious fastball-breaking ball combination. When the Rays made him available for trade following the 2020 World Series, San Diego jumped at the opportunity, swapping four players for the lefty. He allowed the fewest hits per nine innings (5.8) of any pitcher who qualified for the ERA title last season, surrendering just 115 hits over his 180 innings.

Some teams, however, were concerned about bidding big on him in free agency because of his past command issues and inconsistency. The year after he won his first Cy Young Award, Snell’s ERA ballooned to 4.29. Last season, Snell led the major leagues in walks with 99.

Snell’s agreement with the Giants was first reported by the New York Post.

ESPN’s Buster Olney contributed to this report.

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Twins closer Duran to start season on injured list

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Twins closer Duran to start season on injured list

The Minnesota Twins will open their AL Central title defense without closer Jhoan Duran, who has a moderate oblique strain.

Duran, reliever Caleb Thielbar and starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani all are expected to open the season on the injured list.

Thielbar has a hamstring injury, while DeSclafani is dealing with an elbow issue.

DeSclafani is scheduled to see Dr. Keith Meister to be further evaluated, according to Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey.

Duran had 27 saves last season for the Twins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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LeMahieu (foot) to miss time, Judge back on Wed.

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LeMahieu (foot) to miss time, Judge back on Wed.

New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu will miss some time during spring training because of a “pretty significant bone bruise” in his right foot, manager Aaron Boone said Monday, while superstar slugger Aaron Judge is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday.

LeMahieu hit a foul ball off the top of his foot on Saturday, and an X-ray and CT scan came back negative for a fracture, Boone said.

“He’s still pretty sore, but moving around a lot better,” Boone said on the YES Network telecast. “I definitely think it’s going to cost him some days here.”

LeMahieu, 35, has a history of foot issues and won’t be rushed back in the 10 days before Opening Day.

Judge hasn’t taken batting practice on the infield or played since March 10 due to abdominal discomfort, mostly on the follow-through of his swings. An MRI exam on March 11 was clean, and he’s been participating in defensive workouts, cage work and lifting weight while undergoing treatment. He faced high-velocity pitching machines on Monday at the Yankees’ camp in Tampa, Fla.

“All I’ll say is we’re feeling pretty good,” Judge said Monday. “The MRIs came back clean. I think a lot of it was precautionary; no need to risk stuff in spring training. … The main goal is to be game ready for Opening Day, so we’re just going to work toward that.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.

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