‘The Yankees scratched Domingo German from his scheduled start on Monday night, but it was not related to a trade on the eve of the deadline.

German was dealing with discomfort in his right armpit, manager Aaron Boone revealed before the game, leading the Yankees to call up Jhony Brito to start against the Rays.

German experienced the irritation while trying to play catch on Sunday, though he felt better on Monday.

But the Yankees did not want to start him and risk having him need to exit early, especially a day after their bullpen had to cover 4 ⅔ innings in relief of an ineffective Luis Severino.

The Yankees have not yet put German on the injured list, instead optioning reliever Ron Marinaccio to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room on the roster for Brito.

German was scheduled to see the team doctor later on Monday, and if he was cleared, he could be slotted back into the rotation later this week.

German last pitched on Tuesday against the Mets, when he gave up six runs in six innings, raising his ERA to 4.77.

The Yankees were expected to have to remove a starter from the rotation at some point next week when Nestor Cortes returns from the IL.

Severino looked like a deserving candidate on Sunday night, but the Yankees may now be in a holding pattern while waiting on German’s status.