Alex Rodriguez almost made it a week without receiving some new bad news.
According to ESPN.com’s Wallace Matthews, A-Rod—just five days after being hit with a 211-game suspension for violations of MLB‘s drug policy—reportedly received a letter from general manager Brian Cashman on Friday night, fining him for actions during his most recent rehab stint:
According to sources familiar with the letter’s content, the club reprimanded Rodriguez for his recent actions surrounding his rehab assignment. Those actions include seeking a second medical opinion without giving the Yankees prior notice, and failing to show up at the ballpark on July 12 after meeting with MLB officials to discuss the evidence against him in baseball’s investigation of the Biogenesis clinic that is suspected of being a source of illegal PEDs.
Two sources who have seen the letter, said part of it reads: “the club contemplates discipline for your most recent violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.” Although no specific punishment is mentioned; the $153,846 is equivalent to one day’s pay under Rodriguez’s contract, which calls for him to earn $28 million for 2013.
That kind of money is pretty much pocket change for Rodriguez, but more importantly, this will only further tarnish the reputation of the polarizing third baseman—if that is even possible at this point.
His rehab assignment from hip surgery was, in a word, nightmarish.
Not only was he dealing with accusations about his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, but he was consistently clashing with Cashman as he attempted to return to the Yankees.
After Rodriguez sent out a tweet giving an update on his rehab process, Cashman responded by telling the third baseman to “shut the (expletive) up.”
Throw these newest actions onto the pile, and it’s not too difficult to see why Cashman was so frustrated with the former MVP back in July.
When Rodriguez finally did make his return to The Show, unsurprisingly, it was to a chorus of mostly boos—which have only increased as he has gone 3-for-15 with zero extra-base hits, zero RBI and five strikeouts.
It’s hard to imagine things getting much worse for A-Rod at this point. He is still an offensive upgrade for anything else the Yankees have at third base, but the distractions he brings with him are simply overflowing at this point.
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