Alex Rodriguez is back in the lineup at third base for the Yankees against the Orioles and Jeremy Guthrie tonight, claiming the pain that led to a day off Sunday was just “a little cramping.”
But Rodriguez admitted he’ll probably have a few more off days and tours of duty as the designated hitter.
“The idea of 162 (games) is what you always want to do and that’s kind of what I’ve done pretty much my whole career, the mindset. But I think you have to think big picture and accept a DH or maybe a day off here and there,” Rodriguez said.
Joe Girardi pulled Rodriguez for a pinch runner Saturday then held him out Sunday, despite Rodriguez’s pleas to play.
“It was a one-sided conversation,” Rodriguez acknowledged.
Rodriguez waved off the notion that the pain in his leg, behind the right knee (he refused to pinpoint a location) was anything to fret about. He said it was the result of cramping Saturday.
He felt an ache behind the knee while running the bases and was run for by Ramiro Pena in the ninth inning.
“Maybe it was a little cramping. It was hot out there. …Everything feels good though,” he said. “(The cramping was) in my leg nothing significant. It’s not a big deal. Don’t even look into it.”
Rodriguez underwent hip surgery last year and played in 124 games.