Yankees manager Girardi: We expect Alex Rodriguez to be our 3rd baseman next year

As far as manager Joe Girardi is concerned, Alex Rodriguez will man the hot corner for the New York Yankees next season.

Whether Rodriguez's body allows him to is another story.

"He hasn't played in a year; that's not easy to do, to sit out a year," Girardi told reporters during a conference call Monday. "I've got to see where he's physically at, I've got to see from a playing standpoint where he's at. Do we expect him to be a player on our team? Absolutely. Do we expect him to play third base? Yes. But in fairness, I think you have to see where he's at."

Girardi said he's been communicating via text all season long with Rodriguez, whose 162-game suspension comes to an end at the conclusion of the World Series.

Rodriguez, 39, has played just 44 games since the beginning of last year, and hasn't come close to suiting up for a full season since 2007. 

His hitting rates have also been trending steadily downward for the last several seasons, and few would argue he's no longer the feared slugger he once was.

Still, Rodriguez's presence in next year's lineup remains intriguing.

"We've got to see where he's at," Girardi said, via the New York Daily News. "I believe he's going to be 40 next summer and we've got to see where he's physically at. If he can play the field, how many days he can play the field, how many days he needs to DH. I don't think really any of us know about him until we actually get him into games in spring training."