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A-Rod out of Yankees' starting lineup; Whitley called up

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NEW YORK (AP) Alex Rodriguez is not in the New York Yankees' starting lineup against Tampa Bay, putting on hold his pursuit of tying Willie Mays at 660 home runs.

Manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday he was giving the slugger a day off after A-Rod played third base the night before. The Yankees play a day game Wednesday.

Rodriguez is one homer away from matching Mays for fourth on the career home run list.

New York recalled right-hander Chase Whitley from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make a spot start Tuesday night, giving Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda an extra day of rest.

Whitley was 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three starts at Scranton. To make room for Whitley, New York optioned infielder Gregorio Petit to Scranton.