After being told he should "shut the f--k up" by general manager Brian Cashman for tweeting that his doctor had cleared him to begin playing in rehabilitation games, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been officially cleared by the organization to see game action.
Tonight, A-Rod will suit up for the Single-A affiliate in Charleston, S.C. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, "That is definitely a step in the right direction. He has the 20 days starting tomorrow, and he must feel pretty good. He must be moving pretty well. We'll see how it goes. I expect him to be a productive player. The last time he got his hip fixed he came back productive, and hopefully this will solve some of the things that he was dealing with last year. I expect him to be productive. I can't tell you exactly what he's going to do, but I think he's going to be a good player."
The Yankees can certainly use his offense, as the offense has sputtered in June. For the month, the team batted .223 with just 18 home runs, and averaged 3.3 runs a night. Additionally, the Yanks are desperate for right-handed power.
The team's top sluggers, Robinson Cano and Travis Hafner, are both left-handed while Kevin Youkilis, A-Rod's replacement, has missed significant time with lower back problems. In 2013 the Yankees have belted 64 home runs against right-handed starters, as opposed to just 19 against southpaws. A-Rod owns a career .290 average with 159 round-trippers against left-handers. When asked if his relationship with the team and front office is okay, Rodriguez responded, "Absolutely."
There are rumors, however, that Rodriguez plans to play in rehab games, and the declare himself unfit for action and retire, thus collecting the rest of his money from the Yankees while avoiding a potential suspension regarding the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal.
MLB is said to be seeking a 100-game suspension for A-Rod, due to his previous admission of steroid use in the past.
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