"Alex Rodriguez's next at-bat at Fenway Park might not come until 2012.

After receiving a cortisone shot in his injured left thumb on Monday, the third baseman is likely out for the entire three-game series against the Red Sox. Unless the Yankees and Sox square off in the ALCS come October, the two teams won't meet in Boston again this season, leaving A-Rod as little more than a $32 million cheerleader.

"They told me basically to stay off it, to pretty much do all lower-body stuff, to stay away from a bat for a day or two," Rodriguez said. "The one thing is, it's so frustrating to come here. It's the last time we come here for the regular season. I mean, it hurts like hell just to sit on the sidelines watching."

Neither A-Rod nor Joe Girardi would formally rule the third baseman out for the final two games of the series, but players often sit out two or three days following a cortisone injection."