The New York Yankees don't plan on disciplining Alex Rodriguez even though he failed to show up for a scheduled minor league rehab game on Friday, a source confirmed. The game in Tampa, Fla., was subsequently rained out.
When asked by reporters if he was at the stadium on Friday, Rodriguez side-stepped the question.
"I think yesterday was rained out," Rodriguez said Saturday in Tampa, where he went 0-for-3 in his seventh rehab appearance.
Rodriguez said he would keep any conversations he had with his coaches and trainers private.
On Friday, Rodriguez met with investigators from Major League Baseball, who questioned him about his involvement in the Biogenesis case. After the meeting, Rodriguez was supposed to head to George M. Steinbrenner Field for the Single-A Yankees' game, but team executives in New York were left wondering why he was a no-show.
The New York Post first reported that Rodriguez was AWOL prior to the rainout.
Rodriguez, 37, is attempting to come back from a second hip surgery, which has kept him out of major league action since he was benched during the 2012 postseason. During his rehab, Rodriguez has two singles in 18 at-bats against Single-A pitching. He has struck out five times.
Rodriguez will move up to Double-A Trenton starting Monday after Sunday's game with the Tampa Yankees, according to GM Brian Cashman. He could return to the majors on July 22 against the Rangers in Texas, which would mark the end of his 20-day minor league rehab.
ESPN's "Outside the Lines" has reported that Rodriguez and as many as 20 others players are expected to be suspended for their relationship to Anthony Bosch, the founder of the now-closed Biogenesis anti-aging clinic, who allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs to the players. Rodriguez has denied the allegations.
The Yankees still owe Rodriguez around $100 million in a contract that runs through the 2017 season, when he will be 42. The third baseman can make an additional $6 million if he hits 13 more home runs for the Yankees, which would give him 660 in his career, tying him with Willie Mays for fourth all-time. In the contract, there is a grand total of $30 million in home run milestone bonuses, which were agreed upon prior to Rodriguez being outed by Sports Illustrated as a PEDs user.
During his rehab, the Yankees have asked Rodriguez to try to avoid any controversy. Toward the end of last month, he angered team officials when he tweeted about his rehab schedule; the organization's protocol is for the team to announce it.
Information from ESPNNewYork.com Chris Girandola was used in this report.