The Alex Rodriguez saga seems to never end for the New York Yankees, and on Sunday, the hits kept coming with another diagnosed injury for the third baseman.
The Yankees official Twitter account released this on Sunday evening concerning A-Rod’s status with the club:
MRI on @AROD reveals Grade 1 strain of left quad. He won't join team for series in Texas; set to return to Tampa for treatment.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 21, 2013
There were rumors of an arrival by Rodriguez with the big league club for their series with Texas, but with this news, it will be at least 7-10 days before A-Rod sees any baseball field in uniform. On one hand, it could be construed that the Yankees would be happy with this news, as there is certainly a school of thought that the franchise would be extremely happy to move on without him. However, they have a gaping hole in their lineup at 3rd base, and with the team currently in the hunt for a playoff spot, they could use his services if he is able and effective.
Even in a “down” season last year, Rodriguez was pretty effective, hitting 18 home runs in 529 plate appearances. It is a virtual certainty that he would be better than the current options, but if he can’t stay healthy, the Yankees may have their “insurance policy” to keep him off of the field.