NEW YORK -- Joe Girardi talks or texts with Alex Rodriguez once a week. But, the manager of the New York Yankees never delves into the off-the-field dramas of the star player.
"When I talk to Alex, it is baseball-related," Girardi said.
With the latest "Outside the Lines" story detailing how Major League Baseball may seek a 100-game suspension for Rodriguez, the Yankees are taking a wait-and-see approach.
"I'm going to talk baseball," Girardi said. "I'm a baseball manager and that is what I'm going to talk about. MLB is handling it and I'm going to let them handle it. I check to see how he is doing. As far as talking about that? No."
Rodriguez is not the only Yankee who could be impacted by Anthony Bosch's possible allegations. Catcher Francisco Cervelli, on the DL with a fractured hand, could also be suspended for 50 games.
Both Rodriguez and Cervelli have denied they received any performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch.
An earlier report by "Outside the Lines" said the name of the spokeswoman for Robinson Cano's charity, Sonia Cruz, appears in Biogenesis documentation. However, from conversations with MLB personnel, the Yankees are confident Cano will not be implicated.
"Cano is not a part of this," a senior Yankee official told ESPNNewYork.com.
Cano never appeared in the clubhouse after the Yankees' 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians and was not available for comment.
If Rodriguez were suspended for 100 games, he would lose approximately $15 million. Still, the chances of Rodriguez' contract being voided are slim. There is no specific language related to steroid use in his 10-year, $275 million agreement, according to officials who have read the contract.
The deal runs through 2017 when Rodriguez will be 42. A-Rod will turn 38 in late July.
Physically, Rodriguez has made a little progress in recent days from January hip surgery. He has graduated from taking stationary grounders to moving some, according to Girardi.
"Our plan all along is that he would to be back sometime after the All-Star break," Girardi said.
There is no set date for his return.
Cano and Mark Teixeira are Rodriguez's closest friends in the current clubhouse. Teixeira declined comment, saying he did not know the details of the latest story.
The Yankees have been through this dance with Rodriguez for years. During an interview with ESPN's Buster Olney that aired Sunday, Yankees GM Brian Cashman called Rodriguez "complicated" and compared him to the Clint Eastwood movie, "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly."
On Monday, a "disappointed" owner Hal Steinbrenner said he hoped that Rodriguez was "going to act like a Yankee."
"I don't think it will be a distraction," veteran Vernon Wells said. "From what I gathered, guys are pretty good at dealing with distractions in this clubhouse. We'll continue moving on and marching forward and you just hope for the best. "
Wells and Girardi both talked about how the whole situation reflected poorly on the game.
"You know what I worry about? I worry about baseball being affected, as a game, the whole thing, what [baseball has] been through in the last 15 years," Girardi said. "That's my concern. I always worry about my players. Always. Because I think the one thing you never want to forget is they are human beings."
Wells, who was the Blue Jays union representative in 2002, pointed out that the players have made strides to try to rid the game of performance-enhancers, but, in the end, it is up to individuals, not the group.
"I can only speak for myself," Wells said. "I know that I will never be part of these conversations. I can put my head on my pillow and be comfortable, but I can't speak for anyone else."