The NY Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies are playing on Wednesday in Spring Training at Steinbrenner Field and the matchup will have Alex Rodriguez in a game for the first time since his suspension and he will step into the box against expected starter Aaron Harang for the Phils.
Both teams work out in Spring Training in Tampa and they played to a 5-5 tie in nine innings to start off play on Tuesday. Rodriguez has not faced live pitching since the end of September in 2013 and he missed all of last season while being suspended for his connection to Biogenesis. Rodriguez has been back with the Yankees since the end of February and he has had batting practice sessions and field work leading up to his debut in game action.
The Yankees won just 84 games last season and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Rodriguez is looking to have a productive season and the Yankees will have to find a way to get him in the lineup if he is hitting. Chase Headley is expected to start at third base, which could leave Rodriguez as the DH most of the time. Joe Girardi has had Rodriguez taking some work at first base this spring, as he could be a potential backup for Mark Teixeira.
"I'll be a little nervous, for sure," Rod sai, according to ESPN.com. "I haven't been in front of our fans for a long time. I'm excited about that. I have some challenges ahead."
