Alex Rodriguez to get MRI, hopes to return Tuesday
Alex Rodriguez looks on during batting practice before ALCS Game 3 against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit. (Oct. 16, 2012) Credit: Getty
MOOSIC, Pa. -- Alex Rodriguez, now dealing with a troublesome left quadriceps, sat out his final rehab game for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was scheduled to have an MRI on Sunday.
Rodriguez, before leaving PNC Field at about 2:15 p.m., told reporters his hope is to have the MRI Sunday, workout on Monday and play for the Yankees Tuesday. He will travel to New York to undergo an MRI on the quad, the Yankees announced.
Rodriguez, who complained of soreness in the quad before Saturday’s game, said Saturday night it was possible he would sit out today’s afternoon game. A-Rod said then he would consult the Yankees brass to determine if it would be prudent for him to skip this last rehab game and rest in preparation for a potential return to the Yankees this week.
Rodriguez said Saturday night he might have hurt himself Friday, sliding into second base while attempting to stretch a lined single off the wall in left into a double. He slid, left foot-first, and was tagged out.
“It was the first time I slid in a long time, like that, in a game,” Rodriguez said, looking somewhat dejected. “The same quad bothered me a little bit last week. But I think it should be OK. I recovered nicely last week and I should recover nicely this week.”
He was expected to complete a 20-day rehab assignment Sunday and join the Yankees in Texas for a series against the Rangers. The RailRiders' announcement that he would sit came about two hours before their 1 p.m. game against the Louisville Bats.
Rodriguez went 2-for-4 as the designated hitter for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday and was to play third base Saturday. But after complaining of “tightness” in the quad, he was moved to designated hitter about an hour before the 7 p.m. game. A-Rod said he informed the Yankees of the injury before the game Saturday and “they said do whatever you need to do, as long as you get up here.”
Rodriguez said he felt OK hitting and did complete fielding drills around 4:30 on Saturday, but he had difficulty “accelerating,” so he was shifted to DH to limit his running.
He went 0-for-4 with a hard lineout to right in his first at-bat, followed by three strikeouts. He left after the eighth inning of the RailRiders’ 10-inning loss.
Rodriguez insisted afterwards that the quad pain would not cause a considerable delay his return to the Yankees.
“Even if Monday is in jeopardy, there’s always Tuesday,” he said. “But I'm optimistic that Monday is our day.”
A-Rod is rehabbing from a January surgery that repaired a torn labrum in his left hip. He also faces a possible lengthy suspension from MLB for his reported involvement with Biogenesis, a Florida clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to several players.
In three games at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he went 3-for-12, including two-run homer on Thursday.
Rodriguez, who turns 38 later this week, has four years remaining on a 10-year, $275-million contract.
