Now that we have heard that A-Rod will get Friday and Saturday off to combat his "fatigue" and 3-36 slump, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on how the polarizing third baseman affects our team.  There is no doubt that this is a complicated, many layered issue, but the fact of the matter is that if the Yankees have any plans for October, they need number 13 between the lines.

Firstly, there is no question that A-Rod hasn't performed up to his or our standards so far this season.  However, he seems to be making solid contact, has a serviceable amount of home runs and RBI, and the Yankees have played to the tune of 24-14 while he has been playing.

Unfortunately so far this year for A-Rod, the stars have not aligned in the form of impressive personal statistics.  I think that some of that can definitely be attributed to the organizations handling of his hip injury.  First of all, immediately following the surgery, A-Rod's targeted return date was May 15.  But the Yankees, after struggling in the first month of the season, brought him back on May 8th instead, forgoing a longer rehab stint in the minor leagues.

After his sooner than expected return to the Yankees, June 19th will be the first full game off that A-Rod receives, having spent a few games at DH.  Although I have been a supporter of Girardi and the recent management of the club, you have to question the decision to play A-Rod every day at third on a mending hip.

While healthy, A-Rod, along with other Yankee hitters, has taken the brunt of a lot of criticism about his "clutch" performances.  It has been said that Alex only puts up impressive numbers in blow out games.  First of all, I don't think that its possible to rack up the amount of RBI that A-Rod gets every year without being clutch.  I know that we would all like him, with the amount of money he makes and his persona, to come through every time, but in baseball that just isn't realistic.  Secondly, as A-Rod has always batted in the middle of our lineup, his at bats are likely to take place in rallies.  Thus, if he has a big game offensively, the Yankees will most likely put up a lot of runs.  It seems to me that the blowouts are caused by A-Rod having a big game, not the other way around.

The fact of the matter is, as A-Rod takes a few days to rest and try and get his head right, the Yankees are going to need his big bat in the middle of their lineup.  I know that he will never truly be embraced by Yankee fans, but if you need any more proof of his value, ask Mark Teixeira and his .192 batting average before A-Rod turned up.

Oh and just as an afterthought, am I the only one who thinks that A-Rod should bat third and Tex fourth?  Alex is a much better base runner, walks a lot, and as a right handed batter would stagger the lineup better at the top behind Damon.