New York Yankees

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez will be released four home runs short of 700

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:07 p.m. ET

Dan Graf

Alex Rodriguez, used sparingly by the New York Yankees in recent weeks as his production has waned, is being released four home runs short of the 700 milestone it had seemed so sure he’d reach this season.

Rodriguez, 41, sits fourth on the all-time home runs list, behind only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).

His last home run was July 18, his last at-bat was on Tuesday, and he hasn’t been a Yankees regular since June. As his playing time dipped and the Yankees continued to hover around the .500 mark, speculation over Rodriguez’s possible release or retirement increased.

His absence from a team that entered Sunday’s play 55-55 and in fourth place in the AL East will eliminate what has been an ongoing source of questions for manager Joe Girardi, who was asked Tuesday when Rodriguez flied out to end a loss to the Mets whether the pinch-hit at-bat would be Rodriguez’s last after 22 years in MLB.

“I don't necessarily think so, no," Girardi told reporters. "Like I said, my plans are for him to be there tomorrow with us. I haven't — there's been no discussion of that."

Rodriguez has been a lightning rod for criticism since he admitted using steroids from 2001 to 2003 during a 2007 interview on “60 Minutes.” He later was named in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal and was suspended 211 games by MLB in August 2013, shortly after he returned from a serious hip injury. He played on while appealing the suspension but eventually was suspended for the entire 2014 season after an appeal reduced the punishment to 162 games.

Following the suspension, the Yankees owed Rodriguez $64 million on the final three years of his contract, which runs through 2017, and he returned in 2015 with a surprisingly strong season. He hit .250 with 33 home runs, his highest total since 2008, and reached 3,000 career hits with a home run in June 2015.

That seemed to set the table for a run at 700 home runs this season, but Rodriguez started slowly before he was sidelined for much of May with a hamstring injury. By July, his playing time was sporadic, and he ended up with only nine of the 13 home runs he needed this season to reach 700.

For his career, Rodriguez has one World Series ring, five American League home run crowns, one AL batting title and three AL MVP awards. He was the first overall pick in the draft by the Seattle Mariners in 1993 and spent seven years with the Mariners and three with the Rangers before he was traded to New York in 2004.

Rodriguez has earned roughly $378 million in his career, more than any player in baseball history.

#Yankees announce A-Rod will play final game Friday, assume position as special advisor and instructor with club.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 7, 2016