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The saga that has become the relationship between third baseman Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees organization continues. 

UPDATE: Saturday, July 13, at 10:33 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

ESPN’s Andrew Marchand provides an update on A-Rod’s situation:

The New York Yankees don’t plan on disciplining Alex Rodriguez even though he failed to show up for a scheduled minor league rehab game on Friday, a source confirmed. The game in Tampa, Fla., was subsequently rained out.

—End of update—

Original Text

According to Joel Sherman the New York Post, the Yankees slugger infuriated team officials when he no-showed what would have been his seventh rehab start on Friday. Sherman reports that Rodriguez was expected to make an appearance for the Single-A Tampa Yankees as part of his rehabilitation from a hip injury. 

However, the slugger didn’t show up to the game, and Rodriguez eventually let Yankees officials know that he wouldn’t be playing. 

The game would ultimately be rained out anyway, but team officials were reportedly still angered by his decision. Rodriguez has yet to speak to the media about the issue. 

Rodriguez met with MLB officials earlier in the day on Friday to discuss his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs and involvement in the Biogenesis scandal that could see him suspended for life, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN. 

If Major League Baseball officials don’t consider each alleged violation a separate instance, Rodriguez and Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun could face suspensions of either 50 or 100 games, per Sherman.  

According to Sherman, Rodriguez is still scheduled to participate in the Tampa Yankees game on Saturday after two consecutive rainouts. The 37-year-old is in the midst of a 20-day rehab assignment. 

A-Rod has yet to make an appearance for the New York Yankees this season, but he hit .272 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI last year. Suspensions from the Biogenesis case are expected to be handed down in the coming weeks, per Sherman.

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The MLB Futures game provides prospects with an excellent opportunity to showcase their skills against other top prospects in front of scouts from around the league. But it won’t be long before these minor league All-Stars are playing in the big league version of the game. 

Players like Grady Sizemore, Alfonso Soriano and Jose Reyes have parlayed MVP performances in the Futures Game into multiple All-Star performances later on in their career. 

Here’s a look at the full rosters for the game featuring the best talent in the minor leagues along with the top candidates to be All-Stars down the road. 

Rosters via MiLB.com.

U.S. Team Roster

World Team Roster

Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins

Buxton was drafted by the Twins with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 MLB draft out of Appling County High School in Baxley, Ga. Usually you’d like to slow track picks straight out of high school, but Buxton is already becoming difficult to ignore. 

At just 19 years old, you never want to put too much hype on a prospect, but those who have seen him play have compared him favorably to Mike Trout, such as Jeffrey Johnson who covered both players when they were members of the Cedar Rapids Kernels. 

Buxton may just be playing Advanced A ball, but the tools are there for him to be the next big thing in baseball. In one-and-a-half seasons as a teenager, he’s racked up 14 home runs while stealing 46 bases and hitting .305. 

Look for his athleticism to shine in this game as he shows scouts that he’s a name to remember. 

Miguel Sano, INF, Minnesota Twins

Sano will oppose Buxton for the title of best prospect involved in the game. Fortunately, for the Twins, they won’t always be competing against each other.

Minnesota is fortunate to claim both of the electric hitters as part of their farm system.

The 20-year-old Sano is an absolute slugger and promises to be the anchor of the Twins lineup for years to come. In four seasons of minor league ball, he has already hit 77 home runs. 

Going against the elite pitchers on the U.S. side, he’ll have the opportunity to show off the power that will eventually make him an MLB All-Star. 

Taijuan Walker, RHP, Seattle Mariners

The Futures game doesn’t just feature exciting talents at the plate. There are a few future aces that will take the hill for the minor league showcase and Walker highlights the list. 

The Seattle Mariners-bound hurler was recently called up to the Triple-A ranks and has responded with a fast start. In three starts he is 2-0 with an ERA of .56 and 16 strikeouts in 16 innings. 

Walker struggled last season with posting a 7-10 record and 4.69 ERA in Double-A last season. Given the incredible improvement that you can see in his numbers this season it’s clear that he’s well on his way to living up to his massive potential. 

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The Atlanta Braves could be in for even more bad injury news as star center fielder B.J. Upton was pulled from Friday’s game with a right adductor strain. 

The team reported the news via their Twitter:

B.J Upton left tonight’s game with a right adductor muscle strain.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 13, 2013

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If the fans don’t vote Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig into the 2013 All-Star Game it will be a great disservice to the July 16 exhibition. 

The 22-year-old dynamo wasn’t named to the initial rosters for the game in New York. But he is included in the list of National League players that fans can vote in, per the MLB‘s Twitter. 

According to the MLB’s latest reported results (July 9 at 9:31 a.m. ET) Puig is in second place for the final roster spot trailing only Atlanta Braves star Freddie Freeman. 

With all due respect to the Braves first baseman, who is having a great season with nine home runs, 56 RBI and a batting average of .307, he doesn’t bring nearly as much intrigue to the game as the Dodgers outfielder. 

Even in comparing raw numbers, the Cuban-born slugger has just one less home run than Freeman despite playing in just 33 games compared to Freeman’s 76. 

Beyond that, the All-Star game should be about getting the most entertaining players on the field at the same time. When it comes to entertainment, no one is more entertaining than Puig right now.

As SportsCenter tweeted out, Puig is hitting nearly .500 against pitches in the strike zone:

That isn’t the only impressive feat that Puig has accomplished with his bat in the short time he’s been in the majors. He’s nearly a daily topic of conversation on ESPN Stats & Info‘s Twitter feed, including this recent tidbit about Puig‘s historic start to his career:

Besides the fact that Puig‘s electric abilities at the plate would be entertaining to watch against the elite pitchers on the American League squad, he would also be a big favorite at Citi field. 

Though Puig trails Freeman in the overall voting, the Dodgers star is getting the majority of the votes in New York, as Matthew Leach details in this video for MLB.com:

With one of the hottest bats in baseball and a contingent of fans that would love to see him, Puig is necessary for the All-Star game to reach its maximum potential from an entertainment standpoint. 

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Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun headline a large list of players that are reportedly expected to face suspensions from Major League Baseball shortly after the 2013 All-Star break. 

According to T.J. Quinn and Mike Fish of ESPN, these players are likely to be suspended for their connection to the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal. 

However, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that MLB officials say the ESPN report is premature and nothing has been decided as of yet:

Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch has fully cooperated with the MLB investigation, reportedly handing over incriminating documents that link the players to his PED clinic, according to Quinn and Fish.

Per ESPN’s report, Braun refused to answer any questions about the scandal in a meeting with MLB officials on June 29.     

Alex Rodriguez will meet with MLB officials on Friday to answer questions about his alleged connections to the Miami clinic, according to a staff report from the New York Daily News. 

Both Braun and Rodriguez could potentially face 100-game suspensions—the penalty doled out to players for a second offense. The argument for the longer suspensions, per ESPN’s report, would be that the pair of sluggers committed multiple offenses by receiving the drugs and then lying about it.

Rodriguez’s use of PEDs between 2001 and 2003 will also be a topic of conversation during Friday’s meeting, per the New York Daily News. The report also states that Rodriguez’s $100 million deal could be in jeopardy if the third baseman is suspended.

Should A-Rod opt for the physically unable to perform list, he would be guaranteed the full amount of his contract upon retirement. 

Sources close to Rodriguez believe he has formulated a defense that will exonerate him from the scandal. The three-time American League MVP is currently playing for the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate. 

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With the 2013 MLB All-Star Game rosters finally revealed, some pitchers might be staring at the selections in disbelief. 

The MLB tweeted both rosters’ pitchers:

Because the All-Star selection process isn’t an exact science, there’s plenty of room for error on the part of the fans. Expecting a pool of partisan voters to get the best pitchers into the game is bound to leave some deserving hurlers out in the cold. 

Here are a few pitchers who can make a legitimate claim that they should be pitching in New York. 

Grant Balfour, Oakland Athletics

Tossing aside all advanced metrics and other stats, a closer’s job is to close out games. Nobody has done that more efficiently this season than Oakland Athletics closer Grant Balfour. 

The 35-year-old Australian native has been 22-of-22 on save opportunities and is the only closer who has converted every single save opportunity thrown his way this season. 

Aside from being the best at doing his job this season, Balfour has the stats to warrant a roster spot. He sports a WHIP of 1.10 and an ERA of 1.82. Considering that American League All-Star reliever Mariano Rivera posted a WHIP of 1.21 and ERA of 1.39, those two are close statistically. 

To top it all off, Balfour has set a club record for consecutive saves, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

However, none of that was good enough to earn Balfour a trip to New York.

Francisco Liriano, Pittsburgh Pirates

Yes, Francisco Liriano missed an entire month of the season, but he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball right now. 

If he had enough innings pitched to qualify as a league leader, he would be among the elite in nearly every statistical category. The lefty has an ERA of 2.20, which would be third in the National League.

The 8-3 Liriano has posted an impressive 9.56 K/9 ratio, placing him fourth among National League pitchers. 

Liriano’s exclusion is somewhat understandable because of his lack of innings, but his numbers are good enough for him to have a legitimate gripe about being left off the roster. 

Greg Holland, Kansas City Royals

With all due respect to catcher Salvador Perez and the season he has had for Kansas City, there’s no way that he should have been the team’s All-Star representative over closer Greg Holland. 

Holland is one of the few bright spots on an otherwise struggling team, which isn’t the best place for a closer to be. But he has shined in the role. 

The 27-year-old rocks an ERA of 1.97 and has capitalized on 19-of-21 save opportunities while posting a K/9 ratio of 14.9—a number that is only topped by Cincinnati Reds flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. 

Playing in the oft-overlooked Royals organization, Holland was bound to be neglected by fans, but few pitchers have better numbers. 

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The 2013 MLB All-Star rosters have been unveiled, as the league’s biggest stars are set to descend upon Citi Field in New York for the upcoming All-Star break. 

The American League team will look to score a victory behind the hot bat of Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, who leads the league in home runs with 33. Davis will be joined by some of the biggest stars in the game as both sides try to earn a victory for home-field advantage in the World Series. 

Davis led all players in voting in a historic showing for the Orioles, according to MLB Public Relations:

Here’s a full rundown of who the fans selected to represent each league, including starting lineups and the group for the final vote.

Information courtesy of the official Twitter account for Major League Baseball.

American League Starters

National League Starters

American League Reserves

National League Reserves

American League Pitchers

National League Pitchers

American League Final Vote Candidates

National League Final Vote Candidates

Notable Storylines

Marco Scutaro‘s Inclusion

Because these rosters are voted on by the fans, there are always some dubious additions to the roster that will leave some scratching their heads. This year, that addition is Marco Scutaro. 

The San Francisco Giants second baseman was voted onto the National League team as a reserve despite numbers that wouldn’t necessarily indicate that he’s having an All-Star-caliber season. Through 72 games, he’s hitting .313 with an on-base percentage of .367, but he has just two home runs and 19 RBI on the season. 

Considering there are second basemen with much better numbers at the plate this season—including the surging Dan Uggla and San Diego’s Jedd Gyorko—Scutaro‘s inclusion should raise some eyebrows.

Yasiel Puig Down—But Not Out

Perhaps the most notable exclusion from the National League roster was burgeoning Los Angeles Dodgers star Yasiel Puig. 

The 22-year-old outfielder has played in just 39 games this season, but it’s been one of the most productive first 30 games a player has had. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he’s joined Joe DiMaggio and Roy Weatherly as the only players to register 50 hits in their first 30 games, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 1936. 

Puig’s All-Star door hasn’t been shut quite yet, though. He’s part of the National League’s group of players that are eligible to make the game in the final vote on Twitter:

Puig’s amazing production can’t be denied, but it will be up to the fans to determine if that outweighs his short time in the league. 

American League Final Vote Comes Down to Relievers

Unless you’re a middle reliever in the American League, your door to get into the All-Star Game is officially closed. The Final Group vote in the American League is comprised entirely of such pitchers.

That means bad news for some bats in the league that many wfeel are deserving to appear in the game, such as the Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria and the Oakland Athletics’ Josh Donaldson. 

Donaldson leads the A’s in just about every offensive category including home runs (15), RBI (57), average (.317) and on-base percentage (.385). Longoria leads the Rays with 17 home runs and 49 RBI, but neither will have a shot to make the final roster. 

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The Tampa Bay Rays may be receiving some unfortunate news soon—star third baseman Evan Longoria was pulled from Friday’s home game against the Detroit Tigers. 

UPDATE: Friday, June 28, at 10:48 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Tampa Bay Times reporter Joe Smith provided an update on Longoria:

—End of update—

*Original Text*

Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reported the news on Twitter:

The loss of Longoria for an extended period of time would be a big blow for the Rays. The three-time All-Star has been the heart of Tampa Bay’s lineup this season. He leads the team in home runs (17), RBI (47), on-base percentage (.368) and hits (90). 

According to Smith, Longoria was replaced at third base by Kelly Johnson.

In 219 at-bats this season, the 31-year-old is hitting just .237 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI. He’s a career .254 hitter. 

Longoria has already been dealing with injury throughout this season. According to a report from the Associated Press, Longoria has been forced out of third base and into the role of designated hitter with a sore foot in June. 

Should Longoria‘s injury turn out to be a serious one, it won’t be the first time that the Rays’ season was impacted by the third baseman’s health. He only logged 74 games for the club last season due to a hamstring injury, as Tampa finished 90-72, barely missing out on the playoffs. 

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Rays won 64 percent of the games that Longoria played in last season, going just 43-45 in the games that he missed. 

The Rays are currently 5-5 in their last 10 games and sit six games out of first place in the American League East with a record of 41-38.

Be sure to return to this page, as we will bring you the latest information on Longoria’s status as it becomes available. 

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Mark Teixeira can add another hurdle to his difficult 2013 season. It appears that the New York Yankees slugger may be forced out of the lineup with a wrist injury. 

Bill Baer of NBC’s Hardball Talk reports that Teixeira was pulled from the Yankees in the Saturday night game against the Los Angeles Angels. 

As Meredith Marakovits of YES network tweets, manager Joe Girardi said that Teixeira’s swing has been impacted by a wrist injury. 

According to WFAN reporter Sweeny Murti, Teixeira will see a doctor on Sunday about his aggravated wrist.

Teixeira’s latest injury news is disheartening for fans hoping that he would get back on track. The first baseman has struggled with injuries all season, only playing in 15 games of 53 since returning on May 31 from a partially torn tendon sheath in the same wrist that is forcing him to miss time once again.

He hasn’t been terribly effective since his return. The two-time All-Star is hitting just .157 on the season with three home runs and 12 RBI. This is a stark contrast from the .251/24/84 line that he posted last season.  

Teixeira was replaced in the game by David Adams at first. The 26-year-old is hitting just .216 with two home runs and seven RBI in 74 at-bats on the season. 

The Yankees could desperately use a shot in the arm offensively. New York is just 21st in MLB in slugging percentage at .385 and 19th in runs with just 262 so far. Brett Gardner leads all Yankees batters in average at .283. 

The Yankees are now in third place in the AL East thanks in large part to a pitching staff that sports a team ERA of 3.65. Just 3.5 games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox, the team may have to find more production without Teixeira in the lineup again. 

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Electric pitching prospects like Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray may have headlined the 2013 MLB draft class, but that doesn’t mean there was a complete shortage on big-time sluggers.

There are a few prospects from this year’s class that have the potential to be stars at the plate. 

Blossoming into an offensive stud at the plate will probably take a few years. But the raw bat speed, power and quickness has already been displayed by these prospects. Once they have a few years in the minors to refine their approach and tack on some more strength, they’re sure to have pitchers cowering. 

Here are the most likely candidates to anchor a major league lineup when all is said and done.

Clint Frazier, OF, Cleveland Indians

Frazier was the first high school bat off the board for good reason—the guy can rake. Despite a slight frame (5’11” and 185 pounds) he has a quick swing that generates a surprising amount of power. 

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the outfielder impressed scouts with his raw power, which was a huge factor in his high stock.

While some may question whether or not Frazier can really carry a lineup at the major league level because of his size, it shouldn’t be an issue. He has plenty of time to put more weight on, and his swing will only get better from here. 

The Indians may have found a prospect that can carry the lineup for years to come. 

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees

At 6’7″ and 255 pounds, Judge just looks like a guy that will put up 30-plus home run seasons with regularity. While he’s not quite there yet—he must improve his ability to hit for contact while refining his approach—he certainly has the potential to be a key cog in an MLB lineup. 

According to Dave Lombardi of Fox Sports, Judge won’t be hurt by a lack of position either. The big man is far from a liability in the field. 

Appel is the most polished pitcher in this year’s class. Once Judge has the experience of coming up through the minors, it might not be a rare occurrence to see him go yard multiple times in a game. 

Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs

There’s a reason that Bryant was the first hitter off the board at No. 2 overall. The Cubs wanted the best bat in the draft, and that’s exactly what they got. 

His stats for San Diego were absolutely ridiculous this season. He hit .329 with 31 homers and an .820 slugging percentage in just 62 games—that’s a home run every other game on average. 

Jim Callis of Baseball America called him the best impact bat of the entire draft class, and that’s hard to argue. The Cubs went ahead and acquired a true slugger that could be a star in Wrigley as soon as he gets called up. 

Who finishes their career with the most home runs out of these three will be an interesting competition to watch unfold. 

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