Alex Rodriguez Officially Released by Yankees: Latest Comments, Reaction

One day after getting a king's send-off at Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez is no longer a New York Yankeesplayer.Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the Yankees released Rodriguez prior to Saturday's game against theTampa Bay Rays.The move was expected and part of a plan the Yankeesput in placewhen Rodriguez announced Friday would be his final game.On August 7,Hochreported that after Rodriguez played his last game for the Yankees he would be unconditionally released and serve as a special advisorthrough December 31, 2017.Included in Hoch's report was a statement from Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner:After spending several days discussing this plan with Alex, I am pleased that he will remain a part of our organization moving forward and transition into a role in which I know he can flourish.We have an exciting group of talented young players at every level of our system. Our job as an organization is to utilize every resource possible to allow them to reach their potential, and I expect Alex to directly contribute to their growth and success.As the Yankees game took place Friday night,Ken Rosenthalof Fox Sports reported the team would call up Tyler Austin from Triple-A to take Rodriguez's spot on the 25-man roster.Per theYankees public relationsdepartment on Twitter, in addition to bringing Austin up, the team also added prospect Aaron Judge to the roster.The whole week leading up to Rodriguez's farewell was a complete mess, with Yankees manager Joe Girardi seemingly refusing to play the three-time American League MVP. A-Rod did start Thursday against the Boston Red Sox before his official send-off Friday.In his final game, Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in the first inning. He was also sent out to play third base at the start of the ninth inning, though he was removed after Yankees closer Dellin Betances struck out Mikie Mahtook to get one last curtain call from the New York crowd.If it is truly the end of Rodriguez's career, he got a strong send-off considering how quickly all of this came together.A-Rod is no longer the superstar who was on the short list of candidates for best player in Major League Baseball, but there is no denying the impact he had on the sport for 22 years. He wasn't always liked for various reasons, but his talent on the field at his peak was incredible and often a joy to watch.
Click here to read full news..