A-Rod homers, stays defiant on doping ban
Print Edition
Alex Rodriguez was back with the minor league Trenton Thunder on Friday and hit what might be his last home run in a while as a lengthy suspension looms as part of Major League Baseball’s drug investigation.
The New York Yankees star hit a two-run homer in the third inning of a 6-2 win over the Reading Fightin’ Phils.
Rodriguez is among 14 players facing discipline in MLB’s Biogenesis investigation, and suspensions are expected tomorrow — with Rodriguez facing the longest penalty.
“I am mentally prepared to play for five more years,” he said, later adding, “It’s not time for me to hang it up. I have a lot more left in me. I will keep fighting.”
Coming back from hip surgery and a quadriceps injury, Rodriguez hopes to rejoin the Yankees for tomorrow’s series opener at the Chicago White Sox, what would be his first time back in the major leagues since last October.
Rodriguez is counting on it.
“Unless I get hit by lightning, and these days you never know,” he said.
But he might not get back to the Yankees any time soon because of his alleged connection to the closed anti-aging clinic that’s been accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.
Most targeted players face 50-game bans, including All-Stars Nelson Cruz of Texas and Jhonny Peralta of Detroit.
Many are expected to follow the example set by Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun last month and accept penalties without a challenge before an arbitrator.
The Yankees expect Rodriguez to be accused of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, attempting to obstruct MLB’s investigation, and not being truthful with MLB in the past.
Baseball has been attempting to gain a suspension through at least 2014 and has threatened a possible lifetime ban. Negotiations over Rodriguez’s penalty are ongoing, with the 38-year-old resisting such a lengthy stretch on the sidelines.
He seems to think the Yankees are trying to keep him off the field. While he remains on the disabled list, New York is reimbursed for his salary by insurance.
“There are a lot of layers,” he said. “I will say this: There is more than one party that benefits from me not being on the field. It’s not my teammates and not the Yankees fans.”
Baseball’s highest-paid player with a US$28 million salary, Rodriguez seemed to be on the verge of rejoining the Yankees before the leg injury last month.
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