A-Rod: Discipline from Yanks 'has not happened'

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez said that he was unaware of a published report that stated he was issued a letter informing him of discipline by the Yankees before Friday's game.

Citing sources, ESPN New York reported that Rodriguez was hand delivered a letter in the clubhouse officially informing him that he would be penalized for seeking a second opinion on an injury without club approval.

"No, it has not happened," Rodriguez said on Saturday, adding, "Maybe they sent it to my lawyers. But I'm not really going to talk about that."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that the team is not commenting on the situation.

Rodriguez went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Yankees' 4-3, 10-inning win over the Tigers on Friday.

The Yankees have been expected to hand down some measure of discipline to Rodriguez following their public clash in late July over his strained left quadriceps.

Without the Yankees' knowledge or approval, Rodriguez enlisted the help of Dr. Michael Gross of Hackensack University Medical Center to examine an MRI.

Gross then appeared on WFAN, contesting the opinion of Yankees team physician Christopher Ahmad by stating that he saw no reason Rodriguez could not be playing. Gross acknowledged that he had never treated, nor met, Rodriguez in person.

Article XIII, Paragraph D of the Collective Bargaining Agreement states that players must "inform the Club in writing of his decision to seek a second medical opinion" prior to undergoing another evaluation.

ESPN New York also reported that the Yankees sent an official letter of discipline to catcher Francisco Cervelli for failing to report to work prior to the announcement of his 50-game suspension.