Theater Of The Obvious: The Yankees Don't Want Alex Rodriguez Back

Before his rehab game on Saturday with Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Alex Rodriguez was moved from 3B into the DH spot. The reason? He had a tight left quad. Yesterday he wasn't in the lineup at all, as he was sent back to New York for an MRI. The diagnosis: a grade 1 strain. So, instead of coming off the DL and joining the Yankees in Texas today, A-Rod is on his way to Tampa for rest and treatment.

It is obvious what is going on here. If the Yankees really wanted Alex to be healthy, if they really wanted him in their future plans, if they really wanted him back, they would have completely scratched him from Saturday's lineup. By playing him Saturday they let the quad worsen into a grade 1 strain, which is now delaying his return.

The first thing I thought of when I heard they were moving A-Rod to DH, was the situation involving Derek Jeter. As soon as Jeter opened his mouth he was shut down and an MRI was scheduled. The Yankees didn't let Jeter DH after they found out about his quad. It's a tale of two aging stars: one (Jeter) they want back, and one (A-Rod) they don't want back.

It's the Theater Of The Obvious. Will it be a long-running show or will it close early and send Alex Rodriguez back to the Majors?  We shall see.