Major League Baseball

Report: Alex Rodriguez will not attempt comeback in 2017, serves as special advisor

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:31 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated

Alex Rodriguez has shot down any indication that he will attempt a comeback in 2017 for the Yankees and will serve as a special advisor, according to the New York Daily News.

"Alex is enjoying his time off and looking forward to heading to spring training to work with the young guys as he has said all along," his spokesman said.

The Yankees are still expected to pay Rodriguez $21 million in the final year of his 10-year, $275 million deal that was signed in 2007.

General manager Brian Cashman says that he has not heard from Rodriguez regarding any playing desires.

“He's certainly invited to participate in spring training,” Cashman told the Daily News. “But Alex is also free to do as he pleases, if he wants to try and keep playing. We welcome the opportunity for him to impact our young players at spring training. Alex would work directly for Hal (Steinbrenner). All the parameters have been vocalized and they remain the same from last year. He's got a life to live too, and I'm sure he's going to have a lot of opportunities in broadcasting, in business. People will be tugging him in a lot of different directions.”

Rodriguez served as a FOX Sports analyst in the postseason alongside Pete Rose, Frank Thomas and Kevin Burkhardt.

Rodriguez finished last season with 696 career home runs for fourth on the all-time list. He served a season-long suspension in 2014 for performance enhancing drugs and his ties to the Biogenesis doping clinic.