Alex Rodriguez ended 2012 as the priciest pinch-hitter of all time, and though Joe Girardi doesn’t regret benching the third baseman in the playoffs, he said he believes Rodriguez will reclaim his starting role next season.
“I expect Alex to be our everyday third baseman,” Girardi said at Yankee Stadium yesterday. “What’s he gonna have to show me? That he’s healthy and ready to go and that we have no concerns if we put him out there every day.”
Rodriguez played his way out of the lineup by going 0-for-18 with a dozen strikeouts against right-handers in the playoffs. General manager Brian Cashman repeatedly has said he has no intention of getting rid of Rodriguez, who has five years and $114 million remaining on his contract.
With Rodriguez apparently destined for more time in The Bronx, Girardi may have to deal with the fallout of sitting him.
“I don’t look back and second-guess myself,” said Girardi, who has not talked to Rodriguez since the season ended. “I’m always worried about whatever move I make, how it affects the club or affects the player. Sure, [there’s a possibility] I might have to deal with it more than I expected, but I may not have to deal with it at all. As we move forward, I’ll get a temperature on it and keep track of it and see how it’s going.”
His relationship-mending may not be limited to Rodriguez, because other players, such as Curtis Granderson, also were taken out of the lineup.
“I was making moves trying to win ball games,” he said. “If it comes to that, I’ll work on it. One thing I have been, I’ve been honest with our players, and I will continue to do that.”
And he still is “puzzled” by the offensive collapse his team suffered in the ALCS.
“That’s probably the coldest our bats have been, collectively, in a streak that I’ve seen,” said Girardi, who expects his coaching staff — including hitting coach Kevin Long — to be retained.
Girardi figures to have plenty to deal with heading into next season. There’s CC Sabathia’s left elbow, which will be checked out by Dr. James Andrews, Derek Jeter’s recovery from a fractured left ankle and a roster that could look considerably different after free agency.
And he is trying to make the best of the potential shakeup.
“Sometimes quiet’s a bad thing, right?” Girardi said. “There’s been other years here where there has been a lot of stuff going on in the offseason and we’ve done just fine. We’ll manage that and things will fall into place like they do every spring training.
By March 31, it’s going to fall into place.”
With Girardi heading into the final season of a three-year deal, he might be in need of winning another title. He has yet to talk to ownership about his contract, which is team policy.
“I understand how it works here, and I’m OK with it,” Girardi said. “I’m expected to do a job, and if I do my job things take care of themselves.”
The uncertainty won’t change his mindset heading into next season.
“The pressure, as you see, I put on myself,” Girardi said. “That’s probably not gonna change whether I have a contract or not.”
As for his conversations with ownership since the season ended, Girardi said: “We fell eight games short of what we wanted to accomplish, but there were still a lot of good things [that] happened. We’re gonna work to get it right.”
dan.martin@nypost.com