Alex Rodriguez Aiming for Monday Return; Suspension Unlikely

This weekend the Yankees announced that they are expecting Alex Rodriguez to join the club next Monday.  As his return approaches, it is looking less and less likely that the slugger is going to be facing any type of suspension for his reported role in an illegal poker game.

Rodriguez has been out since early July recovering from knee surgery and his rehab has progressed to the point that New York expects him to be able return in a week.

While he wasn’t on the baseball field, Rodriguez was making national headlines last week when it was reported that he was involved in a shady poker game that involved thugs and drugs.  It was later reported that Major League Baseball had become fed up with A-Rod’s antics and was seriously considering suspending the All-Star.

Rodriguez later came out and denied the validity of the early reports, but his statement did not include a denial of him participating in the games themselves.

Still a source close to the investigation is saying that there’s no shot Rodriguez is suspended for these alleged happenings.

"“This has been overblown,” the source said. “They just want to talk to him just to tell him to stop getting in these crazy situations. There is no chance he will be suspended. There is no chance a suspension would be upheld by an arbitrator, based on what we know about this.”"

The source goes on to say that it’s not totally clear whether or not the games themselves were illegal.  For that to be the case, a “house” would have had to be involved which collected a share of the winnings.  Without proof showing this was taking place, the source states that the games will be seen as no different from guys playing cards in the clubhouse or on team flights.

Nonetheless, we are again talking about something A-Rod is doing that doesn’t involve him hitting home runs or playing third base.  I’m sure the three time MVP is looking forward to putting this episode behind him and getting back on the field where he figures to be a huge addition to a Yankees club that’s in the middle of a tight playoff race.

For more on the Yankees, be sure to check out Yanks Go Yard.