Major League Baseball officials will not suspend injured Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez over illegal poker allegations, The Post has learned.This confirms what Jon Heyman reported on Friday.
"Even if it is determined that he was [playing illegal poker], he will not be suspended at this time for this infraction," a source said. "He will be warned again and not lightly."
Last week, baseball brass announced that they would call Rodriguez into MLB headquarters to be grilled about claims he played in high stakes private games frequented by thugs and drug users.
League officials have been probing Rodriguez's alleged poker playing, reports of which first surfaced early last month.
But the source told The Post that, unless Rodriguez admits to some other more serious infraction, he will not be suspended for any of the activities that so far have been alleged.
Although MLB objects to the behavior, the league apparently does not feel that it is serious enough to suspend Rodriguez for any period of time.
They will give him a serious warning to stay out of that kind of game, the source said. The new warning will come after the league previously cautioned the star slugger about his card playing in 2005.
However, it wasn't all good news.
Also, baseball will seek to have language added to the next collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association that specifically bans playing in illegal underground poker games and other illicit gambling.That's absolutely ridiculous and I hope the Players' Association refuses and puts its foot down, but that's an argument for another day.