Brian Cashman was unwilling to tempt fate with Alex Rodriguez’s strained left calf.
Instead, the Yankees general manager opted to put Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list yesterday. Rodriguez will be eligible to return on Sept. 5, the day before Labor Day.
Rodriguez first felt tightness in his calf on Monday, leaving the Yankees’ 3-1 loss to the Tigers after four innings. He tried to play Friday, but came out after one at-bat. That was enough for Cashman.
“I didn’t sleep well [Friday] night. Consulted with our doctors, trainers, manager and [Rodriguez],” Cashman said. “We can’t [mess] around.
“I told him if we make a mistake, we could lose you. I don’t want to take that chance.”
Manager Joe Girardi agreed.
“We are playing it extremely safe and knowing we will have a player in 15 days,” he said.
Nevertheless, it will be costly to be without Rodriguez for those two weeks. The 35-year-old star is not having a vintage A-Rod year, batting just .265 with 21 homers and a .333 on-base percentage. He does have 97 RBIs and is a critical part of the Yankees lineup.
Those RBIs notwithstanding, the Yankees may not miss Rodriguez as much as some might think.
Last year, when Rodriguez missed the start of the season because of right hip surgery, the Yankees were 13-15 while he recuperated. But they went 90-44 after his return and won their 27th world championship. This season, however, they have fared far differently, going 11-0 in games he has missed.
“We’re obviously going to miss him. You can’t help but miss a guy like Alex,” Mark Teixeira said. “But we’re going to do our best.”
After injuring his calf Monday, Rodriguez sat out three games before starting as the designated hitter on Friday. He only managed one at-bat before exiting.
“He’s a player,” Cashman said. “He tried to play Friday night when he probably shouldn’t have.”
The Yankees can move Robinson Cano to cleanup to keep a formidable hitter behind Teixeira. The options at third base are Ramiro Pena and recently recalled Eduardo Nunez.
“Right now that’s what we have,” Girardi said. “Those guys have done a good job for us.”
This is Rodriguez’s third straight season on the DL. He was out for three weeks in 2008 with a strained quadriceps and missed a little over a month last year after hip surgery.
Additional reporting by George A. King III
mark.hale@nypost.com