The Legends Room store at the New York Yankees' spring training home does not have any of Rodriguez's No. 13 jerseys on sale as the team prepares for its exhibition opener next week.

Eight players were represented with white, pinstriped jerseys hanging neatly on rods attached to a wall and available for $139.95 apiece Tuesday. They had the names and numbers of Babe Ruth (3), Mickey Mantle (7), Derek Jeter (2), Ichiro Suzuki (31), Brian McCann (34), Jacoby Ellsbury (22), Carlos Beltran (36) and Masahiro Tanaka (19).

The Yankees said the store manager decides on which jerseys he thinks will be the best sellers, and they said Rodriguez's model had not been available there for several years.

Rodriguez, a three-time AL MVP and baseball's highest-paid player, was suspended for 211 games on Aug. 5 for violations of baseball's drug agreement and labor contract. An arbitrator last month cut the penalty to the 2014 season and postseason.

His spring training locker adjacent to the back door of the clubhouse has been left vacant, storing only white hangers.


JAPANESE JOKESTER


If Yu Darvish is feeling any pressure after leading the majors in strikeouts last season, it isn't showing.

The Texas Rangers ace was even in a joking mood Tuesday at spring training. Darvish wisecracked that the New York Yankees might have paid too much for fellow Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka by giving him a seven-year, $155 million contract on top of a $20 million posting fee to the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

The deal made Darvish No. 2 when it comes to Japanese players in the majors: He has a six-year, $56 million deal signed before the 2012 season after the Rangers paid $51.7 million to Hokkaido for the right to negotiate with him.

"I don't know the details of the posting system, but I think the Yankees gave him a little bit too much," Darvish said with a chuckle through his interpreter during his first spring training session with reporters. Even before the session was done, the remark was all over social media and the Rangers released a statement to make sure everyone knew Darvish was kidding.

"I am sorry if anyone took my comment seriously about Masahiro Tanaka at the press conference," Darvish said in the statement. "I assumed by the reaction in the room that everyone knew I was joking."

The 27-year-old Darvish could opt out of his contact after five years if he wins a Cy Young Award and potentially get a contract exceeding that of Tanaka. He came close last year, finishing second to Max Scherzer in the balloting after leading the majors with 277 strikeouts — the most since Randy Johnson struck out 290 in 2004 with Arizona.


READY FOR REPLAY


Major League Baseball managers are getting ready to test expanded replay reviews of umpire's decisions.

While most seem to embrace the idea, they acknowledge it's uncharted territory and yet another strategic tool to employ during games.

The issue was a consistent line of questioning when managers and general managers of the 15 teams that hold spring training in Arizona gathered for MLB media day on Tuesday.

All clubs will get a chance to test the new system in a handful of spring training games, although details of that schedule had not been determined.

Each team will get at least a minimum number of games this spring to test the rule. Teams with more spring training games that are televised probably will have more opportunities to try out the new system.

Contributor: The Associated Press