Alex Rodriguez denies allegation that he was injected with PEDS
Alex Rodriguez reacts after he striking out in the eighth inning of a game against the Mets. (June 22, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
A spokesman for Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez on Friday denied more allegations of his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
According to ESPN's "Outside the Lines," Anthony Bosch -- who ran a recently-shuttered South Florida anti-aging clinic that currently is under investigation by federal authorities and Major League Baseball -- personally injected A-Rod with PEDs at his Miami home.
"The allegations are not true,'' a Rodriguez spokesman said early Friday afternoon.
Rodriguez was among numerous athletes named in a Miami New Times story Tuesday that alleged that the clinic run by Bosch, called Biogenesis, essentially served as a distribution center for PEDs.
The story, based on documents turned over to the paper by a former Biogenesis employee, alleged that Rodriguez procured and used PEDs from the clinic from 2009 into last season.
On Tuesday, A-Rod -- who has not yet spoken to the Yankees about the report -- denied the allegations in the story. Bosch also has denied the story.
"The news report about a purported relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Anthony Bosch are not true,'' A-Rod's spokesman said in part of Tuesday's statement.
In the wake of Friday's report, MLB remained focused on its own investigation of Biogenesis, which got under way long before the New Times article was published. Asked Friday about the latest developments involving Rodriguez, an MLB spokesman said only that an investigation is ongoing.
A day earlier, New Times editor-in-chief Chuck Strouse said MLB officials made their first call to the newspaper in an effort to obtain the PED documents central to the story. But Strouse said the newspaper has yet to decide whether it will turn over the documents. Those documents are likely to be important in any attempt by MLB to impose disciplinary action or suspensions without a positive drug test.
A league source said Tuesday that the Yankees, who owe Rodriguez $114 million over the next five years, would like to get out from under that contract. They have not commented publicly beyond Tuesday's statement, saying they will wait for MLB to conclude its investigation.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman reiterated that stance during an ESPN Radio interview Friday.
Asked about getting an early termination of A-Rod's contract should the allegations prove correct, Cashman said: "[You] can't act on anything unless you have verifiable facts.''
Speaking generally of the case, which also involves other MLB players, Cashman said, "We have a very bad story MLB is looking into.''
Other players mentioned in the New Times report include Melky Cabrera of the Blue Jays, Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals, Bartolo Colon of the Athletics, Nelson Cruz of the Rangers and Yasmani Grandal of the Padres.
A source familiar with Rodriguez's thinking said Thursday that the 37-year-old has no plans to retire, something no one with the Yankees thought was a possibility anyway.
"Alex is working diligently on his rehabilitation and looks forward to getting back on the field as soon as possible,'' the person said.
Cashman said the expectation remains that Rodriguez, recovering from hip surgery, will be ready to play by July or August. The GM isn't counting on it, though.
"If we can get Alex back as expected, that will be a significant contribution,'' he said. "But to count on it would be a mistake.''
Hafner signs with Yanks
The Yankees made official the signing of lefthanded-hitting Travis Hafner, who will be their designated hitter against righthanded pitchers. The one-year, incentive-heavy deal has a base salary of about $2 million.
