Mariano Rivera

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera said Wednesday he has made a decision about his future, and he will announce at some point before Opening Day whether or not this will be his final season.

“I will tell you guys when I think it’s the right moment,” Rivera told the press at spring training in Tampa, Fla.

Rivera, 43, tore his ACL last spring and had surgery June 12. He threw 25 pitches off a bullpen mound Wednesday.

“It was wonderful to be out there again,” he said.

Alex Rodriguez

According to a report in the New York Daily News, Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to ever play for the Yankees again.

Numerous baseball sources tell the Daily News that Rodriguez, still owed $114 million over five years on his contract, will not recover from the hip surgery he had earlier this month. It is the second hip surgery for the 37-year-old Rodriguez, and sources familiar with the situation believe the surgery will leave the third baseman in such a diminished role that he may consider a settlement or an outright retirement.

“I don’t know why he would want to go through the pain of rehabbing and trying to play up to the caliber of player he was, and come back to a game where nobody wants him,” a baseball official told the Daily News.

A Miami New Times story published Tuesday links Rodriguez to an anti-aging clinic in Miami that distributed performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez, according to the New Times story, was a client of Anthony Bosch and purchased HGH as recently as 2012. Rodriguez has admitted steroid use in the past but claims he has been clean since 2003. The Yankees had already been privately readying for the likelihood that Rodriguez wouldn’t complete his contract even before the newest allegations surfaced.

Rodriguez signed a 10-year, $275 million deal in December of 2007. He played in 99 games in 2011, 122 in 2012 and is expected to miss at least half of the 2013 season as he recovers from hip surgery. He set career lows in slugging percentage and OPS in 2012 and had just three hits in 25 at-bats during the 2012 playoffs.

Mariano Rivera's rehab doctor wouldn't rule out a return for the 42-year-old closer in 2012. (AP)

Most have ruled out any possibility of Mariano Rivera returning to the mound this season. But according to a report in the New York Post, it’s not of out of the question for the 42-year-old pitcher to come back in 2012.

In a phone conversation with the Post, Dr. Keith Pyne didn’t definitively say Rivera wouldn’t return, but didn’t rule out the possibility of a comeback either. The future Hall-of-Famer tore his ACL while shagging fly balls before a game in Kansas City on May 3.

“Right down, he’s shut down until next year,” said Pyne, who said Rivera is “working his butt off,” is ahead of schedule and is “itching to get back.”

Added Pyne: “[Rivera] will be in the best position to accomplish that goal [pitching this year]. He’s got everything it takes to accomplish that. … If I was putting money on it, I would put my money on Mo.”

Due to a blood clot, Rivera’s surgery was delayed until June 12. Pyne said the delay enabled Rivera to do extensive pre-surgery workouts and the recovery has also gone well because as it turned out, the ACL tear was only a partial one, not a full tear.

“[Rivera] is special, in the top 10 percent of athletes I have worked with,” Pyne said. “One great advantage he has is his lifestyle is very conducive to longevity. He eats well, prepares well. He is very cognizant of how to treat his body. That has put years onto his career. He is a special athlete with a special nervous system. He has great flexibility and joint mechanics. … But the most special thing about him is his cranium. He works and is focused on the task at hand. He attacks this like a professional.”

One of the premier catching prospects in the world is heading to the Yankees.

Luis Torrens, a 16-year-old from Venezuela, has signed with the Yankees for $1.3 million. He’s touted as the No. 2 overall international prospect by Baseball America.

“He is the premier talent in Latin America,” a talent evaluator said.

The evaluator went as far as to say Torrens is better than Gary Sanchez and Jesus Montero were when they were 16, but scouts say he has a lot to improve on.

“He was a third baseman who has become a catcher who will hit for a high average rather than a lot of power,” a scout said. “He is pretty raw back there but is a smart kid who will figure it out. We thought more than $1 million was too much for a kid who … hasn’t played much catcher.”

Russell Martin had some choice words for umpire Laz Diaz following the Yankees' 6-5 win over the Angels Wednesday night. (AP)

Yankees catcher Russell Martin called out home plate umpire Laz Diaz following his team’s 6-5 victory over the Angels on Wednesday night, claiming the umpire wouldn’t allow him to throw new baseballs back to his pitchers after foul balls.

Martin said that it was Diaz’s idea of punishing him for arguing balls and strikes earlier in the game.

“Laz Diaz is a d—. Write it hard,” Martin shouted shortly after the game.

“He said that it was a privilege that I had to earn, for me to throw the ball back,” Martin said. “That’s never happened to me before. I even told him, because there’s guys on base, I like to keep my arm loose. Nope. ‘I’m not letting you throw the ball back.’ That’s pretty strange, to me. That’s a good story, huh?”

Martin said he and Diaz had no history with one another. Diaz was unavailable for comment following the game.

“I think it happened in the second inning or something,” Martin said. “And then even at the end of the game, after I got hit in the neck, I’m like, ‘Can I throw the ball back now?’ He’s like, still, no. I’m like, ‘You’re such a d—. You’re a d—, dude. Like, for real. Unbelievable.’ “

A.J. Burnett

Yankees $16.5 million starter A.J. Burnett had another sub-par outing Tuesday night, surrendering four runs in six innings against the Angels. Although Burnett hasn’t recorded a quality start since June 29, manager Joe Girardi told reporters he’s sticking with the right-hander.

In Tuesday’s 6-4 loss, Burnett (8-9, 4.60 ERA) pitched five shutout innings before giving up four in the sixth.

“I haven’t won in a long time,” Burnett said. “I think I’ve pitched a lot of games that I could have won. I think a lot of things are out of my hands and are out of my control. I’ve given [up] three runs in [14] of my starts. If that is not good enough to win, I don’t know what is.”

In Burnett’s one start against the Red Sox this season, he allowed eight runs over 5 2/3 innings. Girardi has explored the option of moving Phil Hughes from the rotation to the bullpen, but he’s apparently unwilling to do the same with Burnett.

Each of the three Red Sox-Yankees games from this past weekend drew big numbers from around the country, according to the MLB Public Relations department.

Friday night’s game was MLB Network’s highest-rated game of the season and second all-time only to Stephen Strasburg‘s major league debut last year.

Saturday’s game scored over four million viewers on FOX, the station’s highest rating for a day game in three years.

Sunday night’s game took the cake with 4.72 million viewers, making it the most-watched ESPN game in over four years. ESPN hasn’t had a larger audience since June 3, 2007, which was also a Yankees-Red Sox matchup.

Alex Rodriguez

Major League Baseball has been investigating Alex Rodriguez‘ alleged involvement in illegal poker games over the past few days, but according to Todd Venezia of the New York Post, Rodriguez is not in danger of being suspended.

“Even if it is determined that he was [playing illegal poker], he will not be suspended at this time for this infraction,” a source said. “He will be warned again and not lightly.”

Rodriguez is scheduled to meet with investigators within the next two weeks. Although it seemed the Yankees slugger might face severe punishment, he will reportedly avoid suspension unless he admits to a more serious offense than the current allegations.

As for his on-field progress, Rodriguez could reportedly make a rehab start as early as Friday.

Phil Hughes

Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes could end up in the bullpen for the rest of the season depending on his performance Tuesday night, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

Manager Joe Girardi will have to decide between Hughes and Ivan Nova, and Feinsand reports the skipper is leaning towards Nova for a spot in the rotation.

“Competition is a good thing,” Girardi said. “I think it brings out the best in people, so I think they’re both working hard, going about their business. … You’ve got to look at what your needs are, who’s throwing the ball well and what we need to do. If they both throw the ball the way we want them to, then decisions will have to be difficult on what we do.”

Nova, who will get the start on Thursday, will look to join a shaky back-end of the rotation with Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and A.J. Burnett. Hughes is 1-3 with an 8.24 ERA this season, while Nova is 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees are looking to trade for left-handed pitching to counter the Red Sox’ lefty-heavy lineup. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman doesn’t think the market for lefties is good enough to make a move.

“I don’t think I can trade for any starter that is better than Bartolo Colon or Phil Hughes, or a reliever better than Rafael Soriano,” Cashman said. “One of our areas of weakness is the left side, but I can’t force it. I can’t make it happen if it is not there.”

There aren’t many left-handed pitchers on the trade block, but Sherman offered two righties, Matt Garza and Anibal Sanchez, as possible trade deadline targets for New York. While the Yankees held the best record in the American League entering Tuesday, they’ve won just one out of nine games against Boston this season.