Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, recovering from a grade 1 quadriceps strain, continued his laborious climb back to the Majors in tonight’s rehab game with the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Facing Phillies top prospect Jesse Biddle of the Reading Fightin Phils in the third inning, Rodriguez hit a long home run to left field. ESPN’s Andrew Marchand writes that left fielder Kelly Dugan didn’t even bother to move as the ball quickly sailed beyond the fence. In his only other at-bat, he struck out looking at a curve from Biddle. The Thunder went on to win 6-2.
Speaking to the media after the game, Rodriguez said he will play on Monday when the Yankees open up a three-game series in Chicago against the White Sox. He added that he thinks he can play another five years, which would take him into his mid-40’s.
Rodriguez also spoke about “entities” conspiring to prevent him from playing baseball. He was asked why he thinks he is being singled out, to which he replied, “I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. I think that’s the pink elephant in the room.” Later, he said, “When all this stuff is going on in the background and people are finding creative ways to cancel your contract, that’s concerning for me.”
Rodriguez is among a handful of players expected to be suspended by Major League Baseball. Details will be revealed on Monday. Players have until 6 PM ET Sunday to settle with MLB. Rodriguez promised to “keep fighting”.