Under what possible circumstances could the eminent return of 3B / MLB-suspension candidate Alex Rodriguez to the Yankee lineup be considered good news? When you consider the alternative, as the New York Post’s grandmaster of grim, Ken Davidoff explains.
Rodriguez’s posse has spread the word that he could start his minor-league rehabilitation clock as soon as next week. The Yankees aren’t signing off on such a definitive schedule, yet they, too, voice optimism about his steady progress. Suddenly, the “after the All-Star break” timeline the Yankees voiced immediately following A-Rod’s January surgery doesn’t seem like the setup for a joke.
Nevertheless, a gulf remains between feeling good at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa and contributing as a major league player. You simply don’t see a soon-to-be 38-year-old with two surgically repaired hips execute great athletic feats, which is why skepticism has surrounded A-Rod’s comeback attempt since the news of his injury first broke.
You know the best thing A-Rod might have going for him right now? David Adams. The poor kid looks wholly overmatched as the Yankees’ everyday third baseman, putting up a ghastly slash line of .191/.226/.292. He has set the bar so low that Yankees fans, desperate for an upgrade, might hold their noses and open their minds to a return from A-Rod — who, let’s not forget, still has more job security than anyone else in the organization thanks to his contract that goes through 2017. If he’s even half the player he once was, A-Rod would provide far more value than Adams.