Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
With third baseman Chase Headley signing a four-year contract with the New York Yankees on Monday, it appears that Alex Rodriguez will be relegated to designated hitter duties when he returns next spring.
The 39-year-old Rodriguez sat out last season because of a suspension in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal and has struggled with injuries before that.
“I can’t expect Alex to be anything,” Cashman said, according to the Associated Press. “I’ve got to think the worst and hope for the best. Even before the suspension, he wasn’t the same player at third base on the defensive or offensive side. And that was before the suspension.
“And now he’s been out of the game for a year. He’s approaching 40 years of age. And just to automatically assume given his circumstances that he’ll be able to plug right in, play third as an everyday guy and hold up and be productive, I think that would be dangerous thinking from my perspective, in the seat I’m sitting in.”
The Yankees could use some help at designated hitter. Last season’s DHs combined for a .230 average.
Rodriguez, who is due $61 million in the next three seasons, will have to compete with Martin Prado to be the backup at third behind Headley, Cashman said.
“So given all that circumstance, we look forward to him hopefully solidifying himself as a tremendous DH for us, and if he shows he has retained athleticism, then he can play third as a choice when Joe (Girardi) decides to give Headley a rest,” Cashman said. “He can compete for Joe’s thought process, whether it’s Prado swinging over or Alex playing third.”
