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Derek Jeter may have the opportunity to play in the All-Star Game at Citi Field.

Alex Rodriguez is going to have a buy a ticket if he wants to get in.

Despite both players being on the disabled list and a few months away from a return, Jeter is on MLB's All-Star ballot while the third baseman is not. Rodriguez has been replaced on the ballot by newcomer Kevin Youkilis.

Both players are currently working their way back to the Bronx, as Rodriguez is rehabbing from a left hip arthroscopy, and Jeter recently suffered a fracture in his left ankle that has set him back. Neither has played a game this season.

Despite Jeter being on the ballot, he, along with Rodriguez, is expected back after the All-Star break, meaning it may be unlikely he plays in the game if voted in.

• Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano is one of 10 American League candidates on the Home Run Derby fan poll. Cano won the event in 2011.

• Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson are both on the ballot despite not playing a game yet this season. Unlike Jeter and Rodriguez, however, they are expected back in May. The Yankees also have Chris Stewart listed as their catcher over Francisco Cervelli, who has started more games this year.

Injured Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was with the Yankees on Saturday for the first time since the opening series against Boston. Rodriguez, who is rehabbing after an offseason arthroscopy on his left hip, was in the dugout and told manager Joe Girardi that he recently did some light running.

"I haven't seen him since the last home stand," Girardi said about Rodriguez. "He said he's doing more and more each day and although it was slow, he actually got on a treadmill the other day and he was pretty fired up about that."

Rodriguez was not with the Yankees during spring training, and is expected to return to the Yankees around the midway point of the season, probably after the All-Star Break. Girardi said when he talks with Rodriguez, it's about the third baseman's rehab, and Rodriguez recently did some rehab in the pool.

"He's anxious to get back. I think he wants to get on the field," Girardi said. "I think that's the area that he knows the best and he's anxious to get on it."

The media stood outside the Yankees' clubhouse, boxing out for position, in front of a Yankees banner where group interviews often take place. The team usually has three main choices for where planned pregame talks are conducted: the clubhouse, the news conference room or just outside the hallway, in front of the Yankees banner.

For Alex Rodriguez's re-appearance, a fourth option was created. He was right outside the clubhouse doors with no visible Yankees logo behind them. A team spokesman said this was coincidental, not planned, but it seems a bit conspicuous considering the bad vibe surrounding Rodriguez these days.

Rodriguez was not expected to be introduced prior to Monday's game, which everyone involved painted as his decision. It is odd for injured players not to be announced to the crowd on Opening Day, but this is the relationship between Rodriguez, the organization and the team's fans.

As far as what Rodriguez said, there was not much. Wallace Matthews chronicled it in a news story.

"I don't need to be introduced to feel like I'm a part of this team," Rodriguez said. "I'll tell you what, when I get introduced, I want to be on the field and not look back."

TAMPA, Fla. -- Well, that is a headline-and-a-half. Let us explain.

On ABC's "Live with Kelly & Michael," Michael Strahan said he and Alex Rodriguez, plus their significant others, had dinner Monday night at Nobu. In the course of their conversation, A-Rod told Strahan that his surgically repaired hip is doing well.

So perhaps this means that Rodriguez could, in fact, return after the All-Star break.

The Yankees' brand is so large and powerful that it shouldn't really be a surprise when it is used as a reference point in pop culture or even by clergy. Still, Cardinal Timothy Dolan had a rather unique way of saying he won't be the next pope.

"Listen, I think I got a better chance of taking A-Rod's place than I do of Benedict XVI," Dolan said, according to NY1.

One friendly warning to Dolan if he does replace Rodriguez, don't say: "I'll always be a Cardinal."

TAMPA, Fla. -- Add Michael Weiner, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, to the list of those who are skeptical of Hal Steinbrenner's edict to cut the Yankees' payroll to $189 million by 2014.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Weiner said after meeting with the Yankees in their clubhouse Wednesday morning.

It would benefit Weiner for Steinbrenner to rescind the order, and as ESPNNewYork.com reported last week, the Baby Boss might be backing off already.

Weiner reiterated many of the points I made in the story last week, especially the fact that the Yankees are unlikely to reap the financial benefits they expected from getting below the luxury tax threshold for 2014. But even if the Yankees go through with their plan to cut payroll, it would be for only one season, which would reduce their luxury tax rate from 50 percent all the way down to 17.5 percent.

"If the Yankees decide to drop their payroll to do that, I'm not concerned, because they'll put themselves in position to greatly increase their payroll the next year," Weiner said. "And we'll see. The Yankees are the Yankees, and I'm sure it will depend on a number of factors. I'm really not overly concerned."

He said part of his address to the players concerned the Biogenesis scandal, and revealed that members of his staff had met with Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli, two Yankees whose names have appeared in the records of the "anti-aging clinic" being investigated by Major League Baseball as a possible source of performance-enhancing drugs.

Weiner declined to give any specifics about what the union told A-Rod and Cervelli, other than to say, "We are expeditiously meeting with any player whose name has surfaced to see whether there is anything there. MLB will have its opportunity to investigate these people, and if more names come out, we'll follow that, as well."

Alex Rodriguez says he is working hard to rehabilitate his surgically repaired hip and is looking forward to joining the Yankees as soon as possible.

"Right now I'm dedicating 100 percent of my energy and focus on my rehabilitation. I am conducting two rehab sessions each and every day in an effort to get back on the field and rejoin my Yankees teammates," Rodriguez said in the statement released by his PR representatives. "I think we have a great team and I want to be a part of it."

The timing of the statement coincided with A-Rod's appearing in the New York tabs going out to dinner. That was just a coincidence, according to a source. A-Rod's PR agency had been planning on releasing an update on his status and it just happened to occur after the photos of him going out to eat were published.

In New York, Rodriguez is working under the supervision of Dr. Brian Kelly and his trainer Pete Draovitch. While the Yankees haven't seemed all that crazy about A-Rod returning, it is clear Rodriguez's focus is being on the field in pinstripes. At best, he will not return until after the All-Star break.

Besides trying to rehabilitate the hip, Rodriguez is dealing with investigations into his association with Anthony Bosch and Anthony Galea.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Robinson Cano is pals with Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera. A-Rod has been a mentor to Cano. Cabrera has been one of his best friends in the game.

In media reports, Rodriguez and Cabrera have been linked to Anthony Bosch, the Miami man accused of having supplied performance-enhancing drugs to players. Cano said he stands behind his friends and is not involved.

"They are still my friends," Cano said Monday. "You have to be with your friends in the good times and the bad times. I have to stay with my friends. I don't have any reaction. I would say that is a personal matter and let them handle it."

Cano was asked directly if he had ever used PEDs or was tied to Bosch in anyway.

"The first time I heard about that was when the thing came out," Cano said. "It doesn't matter who you are hanging out with. Everybody has their personal lives and they do whatever they want with their lives."

Alex Rodriguez does get to say if he retires, you know. He may be hated by his own organization and its team's fans, but he has that little piece of paper that guarantees he has a say in the matter of calling it a career.

That piece of paper the Yankees gave him in 2007 guarantees him at least five years and $114 million. Plus, if he wants to stick around, there are home run bonuses that add up to $6 million a pop and a total of what could be an extra $30 million. He needs just 13 more homers to tie Willie Mays' 660 number for his first $6 million pop. (The 115 home runs needed to catch Barry Bonds seems less likely.)

The Yankees are clearly trying to gain some leverage with A-Rod. From our original story on Tuesday and other outlets, it feels like a campaign to make it uncomfortable for Rodriguez to put on pinstripes again.

A-Rod, though, doesn't have to cede all the power to the Yankees. Just as easily as they can talk about voiding his contract, he can announce that he has every intention of continuing his career in the Bronx.

He can make the Yankees cut him with his $114 million, which all counts toward the luxury tax, and then see if another team might want a guy whose OPS of .783 was the ninth best among third baseman in 2012 and the third best among AL third baseman.

There is a long way between now and the Yankees getting their wish of seeing A-Rod gone forever. With A-Rod's denial about the claims that he bought PEDs in the Miami New Times story, it is unclear if MLB will have enough evidence to suspend him. With sources who have seen A-Rod's contract informing ESPNNewYork.com that there is no special steroid section in the moral clauses of the deal, it will be very hard, maybe impossible, for the Yankees to sever ties, on their terms, unless they just cut him.

The Yankees know how to play this game. They are a billion-dollar business for a reason. That doesn't mean always playing nice and friendly. They have put the pressure on A-Rod, but he has some cards to play, too.

He already has said that he doesn't know Anthony Bosch. Now, he just needs to say 10 words, "I want to play for the New York Yankees in 2013." He has a guaranteed contract.

In other words, A-Rod's future isn't close to being decided by a long shot.

A legendary body of work had been smashed apart by a report. A post-baseball life expected to be filled with gala receptions instead couldn't even earn him an invite to an Old Timer's Day. So an iconic player with his reputation shattered decided to fight.

Roger Clemens fought and fought, all the way to the Supreme Court. He put his freedom on the line to assert he did not use performance-enhancing drugs. Whether you believe him or not, he tried everything to prove his 4,672 strikeouts had nothing to do with PEDs.

"If you did it, you do what Andy Pettitte did," Roger Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, told ESPNNewYork.com from his Houston office Wednesday. "He did absolutely the right thing. Jump out in front and admit it and accept your responsibility. If you didn't do it, nobody is going to believe you until you go to the judicial system. Roger denied until the cows came home, but no one believed him until 12 independent people heard evidence."

Alex Rodriguez has a choice: to come clean or fight to prove his innocence.

To read the rest of the column, click here.

A report out of Miami contains new details that might link Alex Rodriguez to recent use of performance-enhancing drugs. The Miami New Times, in a long investigative piece, has details that suggest Rodriguez had close ties with Anthony Bosch, a South Florida nutritionist. The story says Rodriguez has made PED transactions as recently as during the 2012 season.

In 2009, when Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs, he said he took them only from 2001 to '03 as a member of the Texas Rangers.

Bosch has been under suspicion for a long time. Bosch allegedly gave Manny Ramirez the women's fertility drug that ultimately led to his first suspension in 2009. MLB is investigating Bosch's practices.

The New Times writes about specific times when Rodriguez allegedly made transactions with Bosch for performance-enhancing drugs. In Bosch's files, Rodriguez was listed as "Alex Rodriguez," "Alex Rod" or a nickname, "Cacique," a pre-Columbian Caribbean chief. Rodriguez's name appears 16 times in the records the New Times obtained:

Take, for instance, one patient list from Bosch's 2009 personal notebook. It charts more than 50 clients and notes whether they received their drugs by delivery or in the office, how much they paid, and what they were taking.

There, at number seven on the list, is Alex Rodriguez. He paid $3,500, Bosch notes. Below that, he writes, "1.5/1.5 HGH (sports perf.) creams test., glut., MIC, supplement, sports perf. Diet." HGH, of course, is banned in baseball, as are testosterone creams.

That's not the only damning evidence against A-Rod, though. Another document from the files, a loose sheet with a header from the 19th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine, lays out a full regimen under the name Cacique: "Test. cream ... troches prior to workout ... and GHRP ... IGF-1 ... pink cream."

IGF-1 is a banned substance in baseball that stimulates insulin production and muscle growth. Elsewhere in his notebook, Bosch spells out that his "troches," a type of drug lozenge, include 15 percent testosterone; pink cream, he writes, is a complex formula that also includes testosterone. GHRP is a substance that releases growth hormones.

There's more evidence. On a 2009 client list, near A-Rod's name, is that of Yuri Sucart, who paid Bosch $500 for a weeklong supply of HGH. Sucart is famous to anyone who has followed baseball's steroid scandal. Soon after A-Rod's admission, the slugger admitted that Sucart -- his cousin and close friend -- was the mule who provided the superstar his drugs. In 2009, the same year this notebook was written, Sucart (who lives in South Miami and didn't respond to a message left at his home) was banned from all Yankees facilities.

The mentions of Rodriguez begin in 2009 and continue all the way through last season.

There could be serious ramifications for A-Rod. If these allegations prove to be true, he could be suspended under MLB's drug policy, and the Yankees could try to void his contract. He is owed $114 million over the next five seasons.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman did an interview on WFAN Friday during which he said there is "a chance" Alex Rodriguez could miss the entire 2013 season.

Just like he did on Jan. 8 in this ESPNNewYork.com story.

Almost three weeks ago, prior to A-Rod's hip surgery, in a blog item titled "Will we see A-Rod this year?" we asked Cashman if A-Rod could miss the whole season.

“There is always a chance,” Cashman said. “We are told he should be back. Is there a chance that things don’t go as well? There is always a chance. Until after surgery you won’t know. We have been told he will be back. There are always risks associated with surgery, regardless.”

Cashman has not changed his stance. The Yankees think (hope?) A-Rod will return after the All-Star break, but there are no guarantees. Internally, they have to believe whatever he provides is just a bonus after two major hip surgeries.

QUESTION: Do you think A-Rod will be back this year?

Today we begin our countdown to the day we have all been waiting for since Oct. 6 -- Feb. 12, the day pitchers and catchers report to Yankees spring training camp in Tampa. Each day between now and then, Andrew Marchand, Mark Simon and myself will present a list dealing with a specific issue facing the Yankees this season. And what better place to start than the place that seems to be the center of the Yankees' universe these days: third base. Or more precisely, with the third baseman.

SIX WAYS ALEX RODRIGUEZ'S YANKEES CAREER MIGHT END

1. INJURY: The obvious choice, considering his age, recent injury history and history of steroid abuse, which generally leads to an overall physical breakdown -- something that A-Rod seems to be in the midst of now. His latest injury, a second torn hip labrum that required surgery, will keep him out of the lineup until at least after the All-Star break.

2. TRADE: Much less likely, because how many teams are going to part with prospects in exchange for an aging player who is guaranteed a minimum of $20 million a year over the next five years, with a "reduced" rate that doesn’t kick in until 2016?

3. BUYOUT: Highly doubt this one, because despite what the Mets decided to do to rid themselves of their Jason Bay problem, no team likes paying a guy not to play. Hal Steinbrenner would probably cover his body in tattoos and piercings before forking over many millions of dollars to make A-Rod just go away.

4. RETIREMENT TO BECOME A MOVIE STAR: Sorry, but A-Rod is no Jim Brown.

5. RETIREMENT TO BECOME A PRO WRESTLER: Sorry, but A-Rod is no Hulk Hogan.

6. LEADING THE YANKEES TO ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP OR TWO: Well, what is spring training for if not for dreaming?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: If you were to make a bet on how Alex Rodriguez's Yankees career will end, which number above is your money on?

By the numbers alone, it looks like no contest: The Yankees owe Alex Rodriguez $114 million for the next five seasons while the Jets can be free of their commitment to Mark Sanchez, their disenfranchised quarterback, in one year and mere $8.25 million.

But I suppose it depends on how much value you put on winning a championship. The Yankees, of course, won the 2009 World Series with A-Rod and, by most assessments, would not have gotten there without him. The Jets, on the other hand, got no further than the AFC title game, twice, with Sanchise, and have now failed to make the playoffs two years in a row.

So is that added $106 million for A-Rod -- the difference between what is left on their two deals -- worth one championship? The Yankees spent a ton on A-Rod -- and will continue to spend for the next five years -- but at least have one piece of hardware to show for it. The Jets invested a lot less in Sanchez, and pretty much got nothing out of it, and now must find a new quarterback to lead them out of this mess.

So you make the call -- which deal was worse? Let us know in the comments section. Thanks.

It's amazing how people who never could have predicted what Robinson Cano would do from one game to the next now presume to know what the Yankees second baseman will do a year from now.

But that is what the story in today's New York Daily News purports to do, quoting two industry sources as saying Cano is unlikely to be a Yankee in 2014 after he becomes a free agent at the conclusion of the 2013 season.

They are basing that opinion, presumably, on the Yankees' lack of spending this offseason and the looming $189 million Hal-imposed payroll cap for 2014. That, and the fact that Cano is represented by Scott Boras, who always fights for the last penny on the table.

OK, let's give this devil its due. Any player entering free agency could very well wind up with another team, and often does. But predicting what Cano will do a year from now is likely to prove as accurate as the predictions for him before the postseason, which he entered as one of the hottest hitters in the history of professional baseball.

Had you asked anyone how Cano would perform in the postseason, the prediction would have been that he would crush. He wound up going 3-for-40 (.075), which tells you the value of baseball predictions, even those seemingly rooted in solid logic.

As for the Boras factor, the super-agent has already gone on record as saying the Yankees, as the preeminent franchise in pro sports, should not be cutting payroll, but increasing it. The number he has used is $300 million, which would make life very good for Scott Boras. He is not above sending out warning shots -- "Cano may bolt Yankees next year!" says a source -- in fact, it is a tried-and-true tactic of agents in every entertainment field.

And besides, when is the last time having Scott Boras as an agent kept the Yankees from signing a player they wanted? Or maybe didn't want? I offer into evidence Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Soriano, and rest my case on that point, your honor.

Then there is the most obvious point of all -- that maybe the reason the Yankees aren't spending much money this winter, and are clearly reluctant to enter into any multiyear deals, is precisely because they are conserving their "dwindling resources" -- yes, I feel silly typing those words -- to make sure they have enough to hold onto Cano next year.

In any event, yes, Robinson Cano might not be a Yankee in 2014. And Alex Rodriguez might hit 75 home runs. But I wouldn't bet on either of those propositions.