ARLINGTON, TEXAS — There may not be peace in the Bronx, but there is a plan.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman announced Thursday that, following a re-examination of Alex Rodriguez and a conference call with the beleaguered third baseman, the Yankees and A-Rod are on the same page with a protocol that would have A-Rod back in either a simulated game or minor-league game by August 1 — and then back with the Yankees “really soon after” — barring any injury setbacks.
Meanwhile, as a penalty for seeking a second opinion on his left quadriceps injury without going through the proper channels, A-Rod is likely to face discipline by the Yankees. He will be fined by the team, according to a CBS Sports report.
Rodriguez went on WFAN later Thursday and said he was “frustrated” and “disappointed” that he won’t be able to play Friday. When asked by Mike Francesa if he trusted the Yankees and their process, A-Rod took a long pause.
“I’d rather not get into that, Mike,” he said. “I’m just frustrated I’m not on the field tomorrow. I’ll leave it at that.”
Rodriguez says his choice would be to return Friday, but he was given a choice between a five-day rehab plan and a seven-day plan. He chose the shorter.
“I do have bosses,” A-Rod said. “They have a plan, they have a protocol.” I
An early August return to the Yankees would match up such an event with the time, roughly, when Major League Baseball is expected to announce suspensions for A-Rod and other players because of their involvement with Biogenesis, the shuttered anti-aging clinic in South Florida. If A-Rod chooses to appeal the suspension, as he is expected to do, then he could keep playing until an arbitrator ruled on his case — which might not happen until this winter.
A-Rod met Wednesday in Tampa with team orthopedic surgeon Daniel Murphy, Cashman said, and Murphy concurred with the July 21 analysis of team physician Christopher Ahmad that A-Rod had a Grade 1 strain of his left quadriceps. However, with four days having passed, Cashman said, “There’s been clearly some improvement in Alex’s quad injury.”
The plan, Cashman said, calls for A-Rod to start some “light conditioning” Friday, and then “expand to more functional work” from Saturday through July 31.
At about 2:30 this afternoon, Cashman said, the Yankees held a conference call featuring Cashman; team president Randy Levine; head athletic trainer for player development Tim Lentych; Rodriguez; and attorney Jordan Siev, representing A-Rod, and went over this schedule.
“He said he was on board with it,” Cashman said of A-Rod.
Rodriguez set his relationship with the Yankees ablaze once more Wednesday by authorizing an orthopedist, Michael Gross, to say that A-Rod was ready to play right now. As Cashman pointed out Wednesday night, A-Rod violated the Basic Agreement by getting a second opinion without communicating it with the team.
According to the Basic Agreement, the only penalty for this violation is that the team wouldn’t reimburse the player for the attached expenses. A-Rod could grieve even a small fine through the union. Whether he would choose to do so would once again shed light on his terrible relationship with the Yankees.
“I don’t know anything about MRIs, I don’t know anything about doctors,” Rodriguez said. “I know I feel good, I have no pain and I wish I was playing.”