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A-Rod expected to join Yankees camp as instructor Tuesday

Mark J. Rebilas / Reuters

Alex Rodriguez, the endlessly polarizing superstar who spent a dozen seasons in pinstripes before being ceremoniously released in August, is expected to arrive at the New York Yankees' spring training facility Tuesday to lend a hand as an instructor and adviser, according to Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News.

Hal Steinbrenner, for one, is excited about it.

"What I can tell you is that Alex has always been tremendous (with young players), as he was with Didi (Gregorius) and (Starlin) Castro. He's tremendous with younger players," Steinbrenner, the club's owner, told Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Friday. "He just is. He has had ups and downs like anybody, but he truly, sincerely loves that job (working with young players)."

He continued: "There are a lot of other people who are good at teaching, but then we have truly exceptional teachers who excelled at shaping lives and mentoring, and I think he is one of those guys. He was in instructional league and everyone loved him and he truly enjoyed it, and that sets him apart from other people."

With Rodriguez just four home runs shy of 700 for his career, some speculated after he was released that the 41-year-old would try to catch on with another club for 2017 - in which the Yankees will pay him $21 million - but a spokesperson for the 14-time All-Star confirmed in January he intends to fulfill his commitment to the club and serve as a special adviser to Steinbrenner this upcoming season.

In fact, Steinbrenner said he could even see Rodriguez's role with the club expanding.

"Absolutely," Steinbrenner said. "We haven’t talked about that, and obviously he's been doing more broadcasting as well and he's got other things going on in his life. But the more he's involved, he's been absolutely tremendous with the young players - always has been - and we're going to continue to talk about different ways he can be involved."

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