A-ROAG: It’s time Yankees made Alex Rodriguez a part-time player

10:53 AM ET

NEW YORK — Even at a wage of $21 million a year, the New York Yankees should make Alex Rodriguez a part-time employee instead of a full-timer. They should do it for the betterment of the team and for his betterment. From this point on, A-Rod should be the DH no more than four or five times a week.

As Rodriguez returns Tuesday from his hamstring injury, the Yankees (21-22) are riding a five-game win streak, one that has them on the brink of .500.

Before A-Rod went on the DL, the Yankees were 8-16. With him off the roster, they went 13-6. That, however, is not enough to justify denying A-Rod full-time DH duties.

The Yankees are better if they don’t over-rely on the soon-to-be 41-year-old. A-Rod should play against lefties, against whom he continues to mash. In his 30 at-bats against lefties this season, he has a 1.020 OPS.

But when there are righties on the mound, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi should be more selective. Some days, he should shift Carlos Beltran from right field to DH, improving the Yankees defensively with Aaron Hicks in the outfield. Beltran likes to play the field, but he’s 39 and has a 1.165 OPS in 52 at-bats as a DH (as opposed to a .670 OPS in 102 at-bats as the Yankees’ right-fielder).

On Beltran’s DH days, Rodriguez …

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