Yankees' Rodriguez 'disappointed' over All-Star Game snub

By his own admission, Alex Rodriguez knew he was a "long shot" to play in next week's All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park.

Still, the resurgent 39-year-old would've relished the opportunity to attend the 15th Midsummer Classic of his storied career, though, admittedly, the four-day respite from baseball will do his body good.

"I'm obviously disappointed," Rodriguez told reporters from the New York Yankees clubhouse before Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. "It would have been fun to go out and represent the American League, that's for sure. But I know that while serving the suspension, the time off was very good for me. I hope the four days will be, too."

In his first season back with the Yankees following the longest drug-related suspension in baseball history, Rodriguez has dazzled as the club's everyday designated hitter. Through 77 games thus far, Rodriguez boasts 16 home runs and a .902 OPS, his best mark since 2009.

Rodriguez, however, fell short of Seattle Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz in fan voting before Ned Yost, the manager for this year's American League squad, selected Prince Fielder of the Texas Rangers to serve as his backup.

"I think the fans made a very wise choice and I think Yost had a very difficult decision," Rodriguez said. "You can't go wrong with Prince. He's had a phenomenal year and he's also a big comeback story, so I'm happy for Prince."

Heading into the 2015 campaign after more than a year of personal and professional turmoil, however, Rodriguez said making the All-Star team wasn't exactly at the top of his priority list.

"I wish I could tell you it was (a goal)," he said. "My goal early on was to make the team and I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know how many at-bats I was going to get."