Strained Quad to Delay Alex Rodriguez’s Return

Alex Rodriguez won’t be joining the Yankees after all now that his rehab assignment has ended. Instead he’ll remain on the DL with a quad injury. (Image Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports)

Alex Rodriguez had been set to rejoin the New York Yankees on Monday in Texas, but those plans have been scrapped entirely. It now is uncertain when he’ll make his way back into the Yankee lineup.

Upon arriving to the ballpark on Saturday for his latest rehab game, Rodriguez complained of stiffness in his left quad. The team had him DH that day for Triple-A Scranton, but with his leg failing to improve they elected to send him back to New York for further examinations on Sunday by the team’s physician, Dr. Christopher Ahmad. An MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain, which will keep Rodriguez on the disabled list instead of allowing him to make his season debut.

Rodriguez will head to the team’s Spring Training facilities in Tampa for rest and treatment. Grade 1 strains are considered to be the mildest in terms of severity, but no timetable is being set for when the team expects him to return.

Having missed the entire season to date, Rodriguez had been coming to the end of his 20 day rehab stint. He’d hit just .200/.250/.375 in that stretch, with just 8 hits and 12 strikeouts in 44 plate appearances. It hardly appeared that he was ready to return to the Major Leagues, but with the abysmal production that the Yankees have received at third base on the year the return of Rodriguez was going to almost be welcomed.

And yet, Rodriguez’s future remains a question mark. It’s uncertain how long he’ll need to rest and rehab this quad injury. He’ll turn 38 this week and there’s no way to tell how quickly his body will react to this latest setback. Rodriguez also faces the uncertainty of Major League Baseball’s plans with regards to the BioGenesis scandal, as suspensions have been rumored to be coming down sometime this week. If he’s included in that group, and depending on how long he’s suspended for, it’s possible that he’ll never play again.