TAMPA — When Alex Rodriguez is interviewed by Major League Baseball investigators — likely tomorrow — it’s doubtful his answers will result in punishment.
Even after foolishly allowing cousin Yuri Sucart pick him up inside the gates of Dunedin Field on Wednesday, when Sucart was spotted by The Post, MLB doesn’t have enough to suspend Rodriguez because the drug test he failed was part of the survey testing program introduced in 2003.
Sucart is the unnamed relative Rodriguez outed as the drug mule who transported steroids from the Dominican Republic to America and injected the juice into Rodriguez’s body.
Rodriguez has admitted using a substance known as “boli” from 2001 to 2003 with the Rangers.
The MLB meeting, in which Rodriguez will be represented by a personal lawyer and a member of the Players Association, will be an information-gathering project, and Rodriguez won’t be penalized for questions his lawyers don’t allow him to answer.
Rodriguez said he hadn’t heard from MLB about the meeting and offered a “no comment” on the subject.
Dan Mullin and Nelson Tejada from MLB’s department of investigations were in the Yankees’ clubhouse Thursday morning talking to staff members.
They were in equipment manager Rob Cucuzza’s office for about 25 minutes but Rodriguez wasn’t part of the meeting. MLB is interested in knowing how much contact Sucart and Dominican strength coach Angel Persinal have had with the Yankees.
Sucart has been a regular travel companion of Rodriguez’s, and Persinal, who was banned from certain areas of MLB parks in 2001, was spotted around the Yankees sparingly in 2007.
As for Sucart, Rodriguez was told by the Yankees to keep him away. And, according to a source, Rodriguez agreed he made a mistake by allowing Sucart to pick up him and Nick Swisher after Wednesday’s game.
“It was addressed and no further comment,” Rodriguez said.
GM Brian Cashman said, “It’s been handled.”
Playing at home against defending AL champion Rays with George Steinbrenner on hand, Rodriguez heard a mixture of boos and cheers in his first at-bat in the second when he fanned. In the fourth when he banged into a double play, it was mostly applause. However, a heckler behind the plate shouted, “You forgot your vitamins!”
“I thought it was fine,” Rodriguez said of the crowd. “I am happy I am playing, it feels good between the lines.”