TAMPA — Brian Cashman was asked if he considered Alex Rodriguez the Yankees’ full-time DH.
“Obviously the way he has looked down here he has pushed himself into the mix as the full-time DH,’’ the general manager said of Rodriguez, who was the DH for the second straight game Wednesday. He went 1-for-3 and is batting .290 (9-for-31) with two homers and three RBIs in 13 games. He won’t make the trip to Port Charlotte on Thursday to face the Rays.
“I am not looking at performance or statistics, I look at how he is swinging the bat and he still has a lot of life in his body,’’ Cashman said of the 39-year-old Rodriguez, who has cut his time from home to first from 5.2 seconds to 4.6. The major league average from the right side is 4.3. “I didn’t know what to expect, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.’’
Rodriguez appreciated Cashman’s words but conceded the spring isn’t complete.
“We still have 10 days to go, it obviously feels good, but there is a lot of work to do,’’ Rodriguez said. “It’s still a process. I think I am getting better with strike-zone discipline. I had some good swings today and fouled them off.’’