In Rodriguez'
first at-bat Wednesday night, he went after the first pitch and hit a
high bouncer to first base. Later, he hit a 1-and-2 pitch for a high
bouncer to second and was easily retired again.
Alex Rodriguez has yet to find his swings in two minor league rehab games.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Alex Rodriguez has something to prove – to himself and to others – as he mounts a return from his second hip surgery. So do the minor league players he’s going against.
On the first pitch of his rehab assignment with the Class A Charleston RiverDogs on Tuesday, the Yankees third baseman had to make a charging bare-handed play on a bunt, which went for a hit. On Wednesday the first pitch he saw from Rome Braves righthander Mauricio Cabrera clocked in at 101 mph. He hit it for a groundout, first baseman Casey Kalenkosky flipping to the covering Cabrera.
“They said the first pitch he threw me was 101 and I couldn’t believe it; 101 – that’s gas,” Rodriguez said after going 0-for-2 and starting a double play in the field while playing three innings. “I mean what’s going on? First the bunt yesterday and now 101.
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Alex Rodriguez heads back to the dugout after grounding out in the 1st inning.
“The good news for me is I didn’t hit 101 before either hip surgery. . . . . It’s not very often you see 101, even at our level.”Rodriguez is 0-for-4 now two games into the 20-day stint before he returns to the Yankees. While there still are no hits, there are some positives to hold on to.
Rodriguez called the double play “tricky” because he had to wait for the second baseman to reach the base, but he fielded it cleanly and executed it well. On his second at-bat – a groundout to second – he flashed some speed down the baseline. And, most important to him, he is feeling physically strong; that was the main concern of Joe Girardi when the two exchanged text messages Wednesday morning.
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Alex Rodriguez flashes some leather and turns a 5-4-3 double play.
“It’s going to probably take me half a dozen games at least to start even thinking about any type of results (at the plate). I’m most interested to see how my body reacts from back-to-back games,” Rodriguez said. “As I get into 6-7 games into my games I want to start driving the ball and seeing the ball come off the bat a little bit.”“I don’t mind if I save all my hits for New York,” he added with a smile.
Rodriguez will work out in Charleston on Thursday before flying to Tampa. On Friday he will play his third rehab game with the Class-A Tampa Yankees at Lakeland. He said he could end up with the Tampa team for a few games depending on forecasts and that he will begin playing longer stretches than three innings at a time soon.
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Alex Rodriguez still looks rusty at the plate and goes 0-for-2 for the second straight night with the RiverDogs.
As the Daily News reported, one end-game for Rodriguez could be retiring because he is medically unable to perform any more, allowing him to collect of the remaining four years of his contract. Whether for show or not, he didn’t make it sound like that was part of his plan.“I have a responsibility and I have a job to do. I don’t believe in giving up,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the way I am wired. I love competition. I love the game. Obviously there’s going to be a tremendous amount of nay-sayers out there (but) I am looking forward to going out and contributing to help my team win. It’s what I’ve done since I was 3 years old.”
Yanks infielder Eduardo Nunez also is on rehab assignment with the RiverDogs and played six innings at shortstop, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. He will play with Double-A Trenton starting Friday. Barring a second setback from his strained left oblique, he should return to the Bombers well before Rodriguez, who is on pace to return to the Yanks on July 22 in Texas.
“I felt good. That’s what, for me, is the barometer I am looking for: to come back off back-to-back days even though it’s three innings,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll start ramping up.
“It’s only three innings but that’s the first time in over eight months I’ve gone out back-to-back to play defense. That’s the one part of the simulation games you can’t (replicate). It’s the defense.”
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