Yankees manager Joe Girardi didn’t expect to see Alex Rodriguez yesterday, but the beleaguered third baseman made a surprise cameo in The Bronx.
A day after Rodriguez’s name was mentioned again in connection with Major League Baseball’s investigation into Biogenesis, both his manager and his teammates said he was in good spirits.
“I was not aware he was coming,” Girardi said after Rodriguez sat in the dugout during the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Orioles yesterday. “I hadn’t seen him since the last homestand. He’s doing more and more each day.”
That included some time on a treadmill as he rehabs from offseason hip surgery.
“Although it was slow, he actually got on a treadmill the other day,” Girardi said. “He was pretty fired up about that.”
Robinson Cano said Rodriguez was a welcome sight, despite the cloud of controversy he’s surrounded by.
“It was good to see the way he was walking,” Cano said. “He’s a guy, every time he walks in here, he always walks in happy, which is good. He brings energy to the team.”
Before the game, Girardi didn’t have much to say about Rodriguez’s alleged attempt to have someone purchase records from Biogenesis, in order to have them destroyed — something that was denied by Rodriguez’s camp.
“It’s an MLB issue,” Girardi said of the investigation into Biogenesis and Rodriguez’s alleged involvement. “That’s my reaction.”
MLB bought documents from the clinic when it learned a player already had done so for the purpose of destroying them.
Girardi said he doesn’t get receive any updates from the organization when new potential developments emerge.
“Do I get a memo on my desk [when a report comes out]?” the manager said. “No, I don’t get a memo on my desk. I think probably everyone hears about it if they choose to watch ‘SportsCenter.’”
As for Rodriguez’s mindset, Girardi said it was positive.
“He’s anxious to get back,” Girardi said. “I think he wants to get on the field. That’s the area that I think he knows the best. … We just want him to do his rehab and get him back on the field as soon as we can.”