Alex Rodriguez's unprecedented 211-game suspension may not be served as quickly as originally thought.
A-Rod, who is appealing the ban which was set to kick in on Thursday, will almost certainly be able to finish the season on the diamond while his appeals process plays out, according to a conference call Monday with Major League Baseball Players Association vice president Michael Weiner.
Weiner noted during the call that the general consensus of players is that they're strongly in favor of harsher punishments for performance enhancing drugs. A-Rod, who made his season debut for the Yankees last night by going 1-for-4 with a single in the team's 8-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, was one of 13 players suspended yesterday by MLB. Every other player received a 50-game ban that went uncontested, but Rodriguez received a harsher penalty due to committing greater misdeeds.
Weiner noted that he's not sure when arbitrator Fredric Horowitz will hear this case, however he predicted it could be sometime in November or December, allowing Rodriguez to play out the length of the season. Weiner said that even though there are many players in favor of stronger punishments for PEDs, it may not be enough to modify the collective-bargaining Joint-Drug Agreement.
The Yankees (57-54) will most likely have Rodriguez in their lineup until the end of the year, and they can use him as they sit 9.5 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox. The Yankees are five games out of the second wildcard spot as well and could use Rodriguez in their lineup to help make a push.
Rodriguez is "almost guaranteed" to remain in the Yankees lineup through the season, but anything beyond that is very much in question
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