Alex Rodriguez to start at DH in final game as a Yankee

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez will serve as the designated hitter and bat third in the lineup for his final game with the New York Yankees.

The veteran slugger, who announced Sunday that he would move into an advisory role with the club after Friday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium, is making his 57th start as a designated hitter this season. He has yet to appear in the field.

During a radio interview Thursday, Rodriguez said he asked manager Joe Girardi to play third base, but the request was denied.

“It would have just been fun again,” Rodriguez said. “It wasn’t a big request. I get that we’re playing games, so I totally get the answer. Obviously I played as a Yankee, a big portion of it was playing third base. I thought it would have been fun.”

Rodriguez, a 41-year-old veteran of parts of 22 Major League seasons, went 0-for-4 with an RBI groundout in Thursday night's game against the Red Sox in Boston. He enters play Friday with a .199 batting average -- a new career low.

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The 14-time All-Star, who missed the entire 2014 season while suspended for his involvement in baseball's Biogenesis scandal, ranks fourth among all players in Major League history with 696 home runs. With the Yankees entering a rebuilding phase after dealing away multiple veterans at the trade deadline, Rodriguez has seen his playing time dry up in the second half. In 13 appearances since the All-Star break, he is 3-for-35 with 10 strikeouts and one home run.