Joe Girardi ‘absolutely’ expects Alex Rodriguez to play for Yankees in 2015

Speaking at an end-of-the-season press conference Monday, Girardi said, “Do we expect him to be a player on our team? Absolutely. Do we expect him to play third base? Yes, [but] in fairness, we have to see where he is at.”

Rodriguez will be removed from the restricted list once the World Series ends and will have three years and $61 million remaining on his contract. By mutual agreement, he kept a distance from the Yankees all season after the controversial legal battle a year ago. A three-time MVP winner, Rodriguez will turn 40 next July.

Asked if Rodriguez will be the team’s starting third baseman, Girardi didn’t commit to an answer, but did add that he “expects him to be our third baseman.”

Without Rodriguez, the Yankees offense struggled throughout 2014, finishing 13th in the AL in runs scored, 14th in on-base percentage and 10th in slugging percentage. The Yankees scored fewer runs this year than they have in a single season since 1990.

Rodriguez hasn’t played a full season since 2012, when he hit .272/.353/.430 with 18 home runs in 122 games. He did appear in 44 contests for the Yankees in 2013, batting .244/.348/.423 with seven homers in 181 plate appearances. The 20-year veteran sits just six home runs behind Willie Mays for fourth all-time on MLB’s career list. Passing Mays would reportedly trigger a $6 million bonus in Rodriguez’s contract.

Given his absence from the Yankees and baseball for a year, Rodriguez’s return will surely be one of the game’s biggest story lines next spring.