TORONTO — Joe Girardi didn’t start Alex Rodriguez on Monday night because the 40-year-old designated hitter played in the previous four games, plus two more during a minor league rehab stint.
The manager didn’t start Rodriguez Tuesday night against Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ because Rodriguez was hitless in 15 career at-bats versus Happ.
Nor did Rodriguez leave the bench at any time during the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays in which Happ wasn’t as sharp as he had been in beating the Yankees twice this season.
So, is this the start of de-emphasizing the struggling Rodriguez, who is batting .170 with six homers and 14 RBIs in 24 games and in a 1-for-16 slide that includes nine strikeouts?
“If I don’t play him everyone says he is done and I don’t think that. I still think he can be productive,’’ said Girardi, who used Carlos Beltran as the DH and started Rob Refsnyder in right field for the second time this season. “I gave him a day off [Monday] because he played six days in a row and today is a tough matchup.’’
Sitting in the dugout during batting practice Rodriguez was asked if he had a reaction to sitting out a second consecutive game and slightly shook his head side to side.
While Girardi knows he can’t run the 40-year-old Rodriguez into the ground and days off are a must, the manager understands the important people who bat in the middle of the order need to hit.
“Production is important,’’ Girardi said. “A lot of our guys are slumping right now.’’
Beltran went 1-for-3 and Refsnyder had a double in the first inning when the Yankees didn’t score.