Yankees players tired of Alex Rodriguez ‘media circus’

The New York Yankees may wear a happy face when discussing Alex Rodriguez publicly, but the behind-closed-doors clubhouse stance on the veteran slugger appears to be a bit less positive.

One teammate spoke out anonymously Wednesday against the perpetual “media circus” that A-Rod brings to the club, saying that the team is quickly growing weary of his off-the-field drama, report Mark Feinsand and Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News:

“Guys are just tired of it,” the player said. “The media circus that’s revolving around Alex is insane — and we haven’t even seen him. It just keeps going. It’s like a carousel that just keeps going around and around and around.

“At some point, it has to stop.”

The player admitted that Rodriguez’s bat would definitely be a power upgrade for the team, but that he isn’t sure it’s worth the trouble of all the extra baggage A-Rod would bring at the moment. He also made a point of saying that the reporters will have “weeks” worth of comments from Yankee players when Rodriguez’s eventual PED suspension is handed out, indicating that he and his teammates may be glad to see A-Rod punished for his transgressions.

Rodriguez, 37, is currently on the disabled list with a strained left quad, though even that has become embroiled in controversy. A-Rod sought a second opinion on his leg injury Wednesday -- without team permission -- and gave the doctor written permission to publicly announce that he didn’t find any injury while examining the relevant MRIs.

What exactly A-Rod expected to accomplish by having the doctor speak out is anyone’s guess -- there’s a whole grievance process he could/should have gone through if he thought he was improperly diagnosed -- but it probably doesn’t help his standing with his teammates.

Manager Joe Girardi said that he hasn’t spoken to A-Rod since the weekend, and that the team has no firm timeline for his return to the lineup.

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