A-Rod’s layered legacy coming into focus

Alex Rodriguez has stood at the railing in the Yankees’ dugout night after night in recent weeks, looking out of place and uncomfortable. His expression seems to be some mixture of resignation and sadness. It says this wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

This is it, though. In his heart, he has to know. The Yankees have moved on, peppering their lineup with younger players, turning a page. Meanwhile, A-Rod has started one game the last two weeks and had one at-bat this month.

His batting average topped out at .223 on July 1 and now sits at .204. Where does he fit? He doesn’t. That’s the bottom line.

What’s the point of hanging around other than to collect the roughly $21 million he’s owed in 2017? There should be some answers at 11 a.m. ET today, when A-Rod and the Yankees hold a news conference at Yankee Stadium that will stream live on MLB.com.

I suppose this may not be a retirement announcement at all, that maybe it’s something else, a mutually agreeable precursor to A-Rod’s imminent closing ceremony. Whatever the case, so long would feel right, a show of quality he delivered better late, but not never. Class.

Sure, A-Rod spends afternoons tinkering with his mechanics, waiting for another chance. That’s how the great ones almost always think. Maybe they’re the last to know, but that attitude is part of why they were great in the first place.

We never think they’re going to go out this way, with a warmup jacket and a lost expression. When A-Rod has been asked about riding the bench, he has said he will be there when needed, that he’ll do whatever is asked.

He’s not a sympathetic figure and hasn’t been for a long time. His legacy …

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