Slumping Alex Rodriguez has been benched for two days by the New York Yankees.

The three-time AL MVP had been set to play his first regular-season games in his hometown of Miami against the Marlins. He is batting .145 (8 for 55) in June.

The third baseman is in an 0-for-15 slump, and is hitting .212 with nine homers and 26 RBIs.

Rodriguez missed the start of the season following hip surgery. He has played in every game since rejoining the Yankees on May 8 in Baltimore, where he homered on his first pitch.

In scratching him from yesterday's lineup against the Marlins, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said A-Rod was "fatigued."

DIAMONDBACKS

THREE-TIME ALL-STAR WEBB STILL HURTING

Three-time All-Star Brandon Webb remains back home in Phoenix with pain in his pitching shoulder and won't see an Arizona Diamondbacks team doctor until after Father's Day.

Manager A.J. Hinch said yesterday the 22-game winner last year was sent home from Arizona's ongoing road trip instead of waiting until doctors were available next week to clear his mind because "this is a pretty emotional time to have pain in his shoulder."

Webb's shoulder bothered him Thursday while playing catch on flat ground in Kansas City, Mo. The team canceled a bullpen session Webb was to throw yesterday in Seattle.

CLEMENS

ROCKET CONSIDERING WRITING A BOOK

Roger Clemens might write a book to get his side of the story out in his nasty dispute with Brian McNamee, his former trainer.

McNamee has accused Clemens of using steroids and human growth hormone, charges the seven-time Cy Young Award winner repeatedly and vehemently denies. Clemens filed a defamation suit, much of which was dismissed, and it remains unclear if it will go to trial.

"If I don't get that opportunity, I'm not sure how we'll go forward. That is something to be handled if, or when, the time comes," Clemens said in an e-mail interview posted yesterday by houstonist.com.

A federal grand jury in Washington is investigating whether Clemens lied when he told a Congressional committee that he didn't use performance-enhancing drugs.

ELSEWHERE

Tigers: Jim Leyland will be sticking around in the Detroit dugout for a while. The Tigers gave their manager a two-year contract extension through 2011. Financial terms were not announced. The 64-year-old Leyland is in his fourth season with the Tigers, and this was the last year on his contract.

Glavine situation: Tom Glavine said yesterday he plans to "hang out" for the rest of the summer but is not announcing his retirement. The Atlanta Braves released the 43-year-old Glavine on June 3 after finishing rehabilitation from offseason surgery on his left elbow and shoulder.

Rockies: Colorado setup man Manny Corpas arrived at Coors Field yesterday with a swollen right elbow and was sent for an MRI exam. Corpas, who threw a scoreless eighth inning in each of his last two games, leads the team with 33 appearances.