Girardi says A-Rod is not injured, day off was planned

Alex Rodriguez gestures towards Oakland's Dallas Braden during the top of the sixth inning. (Apr. 22, 2010) Credit: Getty Images
Is he hurt or isn't he?
Well, that depends on who you ask.
Prior to yesterday's game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he planned to sit Alex Rodriguez because the third baseman needed a rest. He later clarified that his decision had nothing to do with an injury or Rodriguez's struggles at the plate.
"Alex is OK, I just felt that he needs a day," said Girardi, who started backup infielder Ramiro Peña at third base in place of Rodriguez, who is hitting .258. "You never really want to take Alex out of the lineup, but sometimes you need a day."
But general manager Brian Cashman told two New York media outlets that Rodriguez felt an ache in his right leg while running the bases in the ninth inning of Saturday's 7-6 loss to the White Sox. Girardi had Peña pinch run for Rodriguez in the inning.
Cashman also was quoted as saying Rodriguez's injury was "muscle-related" and that "We think it is more nothing than something. It is not something that is a big worry for me at this moment."
After the Yankees' win Sunday, Girardi said during his news conference that Rodriguez was not injured. When told of Cashman's comments, the manager replied: "Yeah, he's not injured. He'll be in the lineup tomorrow. He's a little bit stiff and that's going to happen to all of our guys. When you play every inning of every game, you're bound to feel something. But that doesn't mean that he's injured.
"The initial thought was to DH him today. And then I thought, sometimes a full day off is better than a guy DH-ing . . . He's going to need a day off once in a while, so I thought today was a good day to do it because it's almost like two days."
Rodriguez was a no-show in the clubhouse after the game.
With Anthony Rieber
More Yankees headlines




