Yankees owner on A-Rod: 'One of the greatest comeback years any player has ever had'

This season's been an unprecedented redemption story for Alex Rodriguez in the eyes of New York Yankees owner Hank Steinbrenner.

"I think it's one of the greatest comeback years any player has ever had," Steinbrenner told reporters Monday. "It's an amazing year. The bad hips, all the other stuff, the more than a year off at his age. To come back and do what he's done is pretty amazing."

In a season that began with the near 40-year-old coming off a year-long suspension, hip surgery, and inserted back into the clubhouse without a position, A-Rod has responded by being an exemplary teammate both on and off the field.

"I wasn't sure what to expect in spring training, I really wasn't," manager Joe Girardi said in April. "But Alex is a worker, and he knows how to play the game, and he's been a very smart player for a long time, so if there was anyone that could figure it out quickly, it would be Alex."

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Rodriguez and the Yankees settled his home run milestone dispute over the weekend, with the team agreeing to pay $3.5 million worth of charitable donations rather than hand over $6 million to A-Rod in bonuses.

"That's typical of the Alex you don't know," Steinbrenner said.

While the Yankees continue to gush over Rodriguez's exceptional three months, the three-time MVP was omitted from the American League All-Star roster despite ranking in the top 10 in on-base percentage (.390) and on-base plus slugging (.902).

"We wanted to try to find a way to get Alex Rodriguez on there," AL manager Ned Yost told reporters. "We couldn't."