Hal Steinbrenner says A-Rod will show up as spring training instructor
New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez looks on from the dugout before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, July 16, 2016. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez will be back in pinstripes for spring training. Hal Steinbrenner said Thursday that the Yankees’ $21-million instructor intends to show up for two separate stints in Tampa.
“I left it with him . . . to call [Brian Cashman] and work it out with Cash, but he clearly wants to be a part of it,” Steinbrenner said. “So I think you’ll probably see him towards the beginning and probably towards the middle. It’s really up to Cashman when particularly he wants him.”
A-Rod agreed to leave the Yankees last August and was given an official farewell in the Bronx with the 2017 season still left on his 10-year, $275-million contract. After helping out some in the instructional league last September, Rodriguez received high praise for his TV work during the playoffs. Beyond spring training, however, Steinbrenner said there are no plans for A-Rod yet.
“Obviously, he’s been broadcasting, so he’s into that world now,” Steinbrenner said. “We’ll just have to see. But clearly he’s going to be back and forth. As I told Alex, six months ago or so, his impact with the young kids, he’s such a good teacher, and he’s such a good mentor.
“I just love when he’s down at the [minor-league complex], working with the [Gleyber] Torres and the [Jorge] Mateos of the world, and I think he loves it too. But he’s always welcome in the Bronx, he knows that, in whatever role he wants. We have not gotten past March yet.”
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
