A-Rod's first spring game still a mystery

TAMPA -- New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has said over and over again that he's going to check with Alex Rodriguez before deciding when to put him in the lineup this spring. Well, the Yankees are playing an intrasquad game tomorrow, so is that going to be the day Rodriguez gets some "game" action?

Girardi said he needed to check with Rodriguez. Rodriguez said he needed to check with Girardi.

"If I'm in the lineup, I'll play," Rodriguez said.

Surely someone's going to make the decision at some point on when A-Rod will play. With the Yankees facing a pitching machine on Monday, it really seems the intrasquad game is more about defense than offense, so maybe that's not a key time for a designated hitter to make his "debut." Tuesday's game, though, is a chance for Rodriguez to see live pitching again, and the Yankees have said that's the priority this spring.

In fact, Rodriguez's time in the field might be limited strictly because it's easy to get more at-bats and play more days as a designated hitter than as an infielder.

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"It's really been a while since we've seen (him against live pitching)," Girardi said. "I'm excited to see that, and see how he does. … For a guy that was so talented, he has that going for him, and (he) has always had a good swing and been fundamentally sound. He has that going for him. The issues become when you're older and you haven't played in a while. That's the issues. You think about a base for a player, he has it in a sense because he was so fundamentally sound."

Fundamentals, though, don't always make a big leaguer. Rodriguez has looked fine in batting practice, and he's handled light fielding drills, but those don't provide much of a gauge.

"I think Alex when he's 60 could probably field a ground ball and show you good hands and that sort of thing," Girardi said. "Probably swing a bat a little bit (too). I mean, we see guys at Old Timers' Day come, and they hit the ball out of the ballpark. That's the bottom line. The real test comes in games, and that's what we've got to see."

Jennings writes for the (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News, a Gannett property

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