Alex Rodriguez does not expect to play for the New York Yankees Monday despite the tentative plan to activate him from the disabled list, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
MLB is expected to make an announcement Monday at the latest that it has suspended Rodriguez for the remainder of the 2013 season and all of the 2014 season. Since Rodriguez has never been suspended for a violation of the Joint Drug Agreement, he would be allowed to play during his appeal if MLB only invoked the JDA to suspend him.
Rodriguez expects to be suspended under the collective bargaining agreement as well as the JDA, according to Passan, which will leave him ineligible to play during his hearing. T.J. Quinn and Andrew Marchand of ESPN explain the situation:
Rodriguez to be banned by MLB without further negotiation
The third baseman will reportedly miss the rest of the 2013 season and all of 2014MLB is expected to declare that Rodriguez is not eligible to play while he appeals, invoking the powers of the commissioner to protect the best interests of the game. Rodriguez has said he will appeal any suspension, and is expected to file a grievance if MLB refuses to let him play while he appeals.
The third baseman played in his final minor-league rehab game Saturday, and is scheduled to fly out to Chicago after a workout Sunday. The Yankees start a three-game series against the White Sox Monday.
More from SB Nation:
• Report: MLB is done talking to A-Rod
• The anatomy of a one-pitch strikeout