When Ryan Braun‘s 65-game suspension was announced, many assumed Alex Rodriguez would be the next star to fall. That still may very well be the case, but A-Rod will not go down without a fight.
Rodriguez does not plan on settling with Major League Baseball for a lesser punishment and will appeal any suspension he may receive from the league, sources close to the third baseman told USA Today.
The league’s case against A-Rod is rumored to be much stronger than the evidence gathered against Braun, and another source told USA Today that MLB is prepared to suspend Rodriguez for at least 100 games, which would hold him out until next May at the earliest.
Braun’s decision to accept his suspension without an appeal likely played into the league’s decision to ban him for just 65 games (the remainder of this season), but Rodriguez’s camp reportedly does not view the two players’ situations as equal.
Rodriguez has not played a game this season as he continues to recover from hip surgery. He was expected to return to the Yankees lineup Monday in Texas, but the team placed him on the 15-day disabled list over the weekend with what was officially called a Grade 1 quad strain.
