
Yankees GM Brian Cashman: Alex Rodriguez needs to lose weight
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Wednesday that Alex Rodriguez needs to lose some weight before the start of spring training.
"Like all our players, we have a report weight we are hopeful they hit. He is approaching that. He is not at the spring-training weight that we desire yet," Cashman said, according to the New York Post. "There was progress. [We] continue to tweak his conditioning program."
Classic Photos of Alex Rodriguez
Cashman declined to specify how much Rodriguez currently weighs, or what the Yankees' goal weight is. He is listed on the Yankees roster at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds.
A-Rod has been working with Yankees strength and conditioning coach Matt Krause and is said to be making progress, but A-Rod is still above the team's goal weight.
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Rodriguez was suspended for the entirety of the 2014 season for his involvement in the Biogenesis PED scandal. He with return to the team in 2015, but it remains unclear what his role will be.
"I don't think it's safe to just assume Alex can play third base," Cashman said in October, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews. Cashman said that manager Joe Girardi has explored the possibility of having Rodriguez play some games at first base.
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The Yankees have Martin Prado, a versatile fielder who is primarily a third baseman, and are also reportedly still interested in bringing back third baseman Chase Headley.
- Jack Jorgensen