Alex Rodriguez has begun preparing for the 2015 MLB season while he rehabs his surgically repaired hips. Besides the Yankees, other playoff contenders have been dealing with injury issues and it could affect their postseason positioning.
Rodriguez was suspended for the entire 2014 season because of his involvement with Biogenesis of America; the anti-aging clinic headed by Tony Bosch in Florida. The MLB's investigation of the company resulted in the simultaneous suspension of 13 players for performance enhancing drug use. On top of his suspension, A-Rod has been working out to rehab his surgically repaired hips that have kept him out of action for quite some time.
According George A. King III of the New York Post, Rodriguez has been seen training at the University of Miami as well as UCLA taking ground balls and working out in the weight room. He plans to return to the Yankees next year, but no one is sure how effective he'll be with the amount of time he's had off coupled with his hip injuries. The 39-year-old is owed $61 million, so the Yankees will try their best to utilize him when he's eligible to return.
Meanwhile, many who are active in the MLB are dealing with injuries. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates are hampered with such issues, but hope to get some players back soon. The Dodgers recently placed starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu on the disabled list and the Pirates did the same with Charlie Morton. However, both teams are expecting returns from star players, including Hanley Ramirez and Gerrit Cole.
Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez is expected to return from the DL when eligible on August 24. The oft-injured Ramirez hurt his right oblique and has been kept out of action since last Friday. He has missed 26 games this year and counting, but is still a key player for the NL West leaders. He's batting .277 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs.
The Pirates are getting back 23-year-old right-hander Gerrit Cole on Wednesday. Cole has been out of action since early July due to a lat injury and struggled a bit in Triple-A, but the team kept him from returning to the roster and waited until they saw improvement. Cole threw seven scoreless innings at Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday and six scoreless last Sunday. Although they're losing Morton for at least two weeks, Cole should be able to step right in and help the starting rotation.
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