The Major League Baseball Players Association formally appealed Alex Rodriguez's 211-game suspension Wednesday, sending the case to an independent arbitrator.
Union spokesman Greg Bouris confirmed the appeal and said the players' association had no further comment.
Rodriguez, who was back at third base and batting third for the New York Yankees against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, said he had ''no reaction'' to the filing of the grievance.
''I don't think any of us thought it was going to be any different,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ''As far as having a reaction, it's kind of what I expected. It's part of the process that was negotiated between MLB and the players' association and you let it play out. I expect him to play a lot. We need him to help us.''
Major League Baseball declined comment.
Rodriguez was suspended through the 2014 season on Monday when the league penalized 13 players following an investigation into Biogenesis of America, a shuttled Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.
The other 12 players accepted 50-game suspensions, but Rodriguez said he planned to fight. Union head Michael Weiner said the punishment for the slugger was ''way out of line.''
Under the collective bargaining and joint drug agreements, discipline must meet a ''just cause'' standard.
Rodriguez's punishment was scheduled to begin Thursday, but he is allowed to keep playing until the grievance is heard by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. He isn't expected to rule until November or December at the earliest.
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Union spokesman Greg Bouris confirmed the appeal and said the players' association had no further comment.
Rodriguez, who was back at third base and batting third for the New York Yankees against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, said he had ''no reaction'' to the filing of the grievance.
''I don't think any of us thought it was going to be any different,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ''As far as having a reaction, it's kind of what I expected. It's part of the process that was negotiated between MLB and the players' association and you let it play out. I expect him to play a lot. We need him to help us.''
Major League Baseball declined comment.
Rodriguez was suspended through the 2014 season on Monday when the league penalized 13 players following an investigation into Biogenesis of America, a shuttled Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.
The other 12 players accepted 50-game suspensions, but Rodriguez said he planned to fight. Union head Michael Weiner said the punishment for the slugger was ''way out of line.''
Under the collective bargaining and joint drug agreements, discipline must meet a ''just cause'' standard.
Rodriguez's punishment was scheduled to begin Thursday, but he is allowed to keep playing until the grievance is heard by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. He isn't expected to rule until November or December at the earliest.
Go Check out all of our social media
– You can now follow me (Andy) on my Twitter account is at https://twitter.com/AR_Official_94
_ You can like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AR_Official/244148072390274
- The Best Pro Wrestling, MMA & Sports Talk- Live Radio Show
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