Alex Rodriguez's two-game swan song from baseball hardly carries in the context of grandiose Yankee farewell tours of recent years.
But Yankees manager Joe Girardi seems to be doing all he can to snuff out any spectacle that may arise Thursday and Friday as the slugger puts the finishing touches on his polarizing MLB career before riding off into the sunset. In benching Rodriguez ahead of Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Girardi made that much clear.
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"I’m putting out what I feel is the best lineup," he told reporters in explaining the roster decision. "That is in my job description. My job description does not entail farewell tours."
That didn't play well with social media snark artists, who cried double standard.
Not long ago Girardi and the Yankees had no problem pulling out all the stops for Derek Jeter, the beloved team captain who barely carried a .300 on-base percentage in 2014, his final season. That year, he was still allowed to bat second on a team that narrowly missed the postseason.
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Girardi said Jeter was a different case, since the Yankees didn't have a capable bat to occupy the No. 2 spot, where Jeter had hit much of his 19-year career.
Rodriguez's numbers are even worse than Jeter's were. He has barely been able to hold a roster spot, let alone crack the lineup, and is slashing just .204/.252/.356 with nine home runs and 29 RBIs. The Yankees' announcement that they would release the 41-year-old after a final home game Friday against the Rays was a long time coming for a team undergoing a youth movement.
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Earlier this week, though, Girardi said he would allow Rodriguez, who hasn't started a game since July 30, to dictate his courtesy playing time in his final week, which was why there were some who thought A-Rod might play Wednesday. Girardi apologized for the false hope, admitting it was a mistake to say.
For his part, A-Rod seemingly has remained a good sport about the situation, saying all the right things. When the Red Sox announced right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright wouldn't make his scheduled start Thursday — A-Rod's final game in Fenway Park — Rodriguez had to be reassured he was still in line to play.
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"Am I still in?" he asked to no one in particular, according to NJ.com.
Told he was, A-Rod issued a fist pump: "Phew, yes."
