Alex Rodriguez to Miss Several Weeks with Hamstring Injury

The struggling Yankees offense lost their hottest hitter indefinitely this afternoon, as it was announced that Alex Rodriguez has been placed on the 15 day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

The injury was sustained Tuesday night as the 40-year-old DH was running to first base. He was removed from the game in the fifth inning and an MRI Wednesday morning revealed the injury. The timing is less than ideal for Rodriguez, who has hit three home runs and two doubles in his last five games after a sluggish start to the season.

Left handed reliever James Pazos will take A-Rod’s place on the roster for the time being, but that is likely only temporary. The strain will likely take several weeks of rest to heal, and the team will need to replace Rodriguez’s production in the meantime. The most obvious move would be to slide defensive liability Carlos Beltran into a more natural DH role and platoon Dustin Ackley and Aaron Hicks in right field.

Nick Swisher and his 135 wRC+ in 66 Triple-A PAs is another much-discussed option. Of course, Swish does not currently have a 40 man roster spot, while other options such as Ben Gamel, Slade Heathcott, and Rob Refsnyder do.