UPDATE: Alex Rodriguez is disputing claims that he will be punished by the Yankees for receiving a second opinion on his injury, reports MLB.com. Rodriguez says that he did not personally receive a letter saying he is facing discipline from the team. The New York slugger said, “Maybe they sent it to my lawyers. But I’m not really going to talk about that.”
Alex Rodriguez disputes report of Yankees’ discipline for 2nd opinion
The Yankees reportedly hand-delivered a letter to Rodriguez to inform him of punishment, but the third baseman says he knows nothing about this.
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees have informed Alex Rodriguez -- by a hand-delivered letter no less -- that he will be disciplined by the team for seeking a second opinion on his injury without first gaining consent from management, reports ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand.
The exact nature of the discipline has not been disclosed. It is likely to come in the form of a fine rather than a suspension, however.
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The incident in question occurred in late July when Rodriguez had been expected to be activated after missing all of 2013 to that point following offseason hip surgery. However, after Rodriguez experienced tightness during a rehab appearance, the Yankees had him undergo another MRI in New York that revealed a strained quadriceps.
Rodriguez, believing the Yankees were misrepresenting his injury in an effort to collect insurance money, then asked orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael L. Gross to look at the third baseman's injury. Gross told media that he believed Rodriguez to be healthy.
The events spurred a very public exchange of words between team officials, including General Manager Brian Cashman, and Rodriguez. The two sides had already clashed earlier in July when Rodriguez tweeted against the club’s wishes that he was cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment.
According to the ESPN New York report, the Yankees will cite a line from the Collective Bargaining Agreement saying a player “shall inform a team in writing” before seeking a second opinion, which Rodriguez failed to do.
This is just the latest in a series of events that have mired Rodriguez’s season in controversy. He and the team appear to be on shaky ground and Rodriguez is in the midst of an appeal against a 211-game suspension levied upon him by Major League Baseball for his relation to the Biogenesis clinic.
Rodriguez returned to the Yankees’ lineup on Aug. 5 and played his first home game on Friday, receiving a mixed reaction from the New York crowd.
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