NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez said he had been ¡°surprised¡± to receive an invitation to attend Saturday¡¯s Old-Timers¡¯ Day at Yankee Stadium, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the 2009 World Series championship club. His first move was to excitedly inform his daughters of the upcoming event.

It was the first Old-Timers¡¯ Day appearance for Rodriguez, who last played in 2016. As several members of the ¡¯09 roster said, there would have been no title without Rodriguez, who hit .365 with five doubles, six homers and 18 RBIs across the Bombers¡¯ three rounds that postseason.

Despite a turbulent tenure in pinstripes, could Rodriguez claim a future place in Yankee Stadium¡¯s Monument Park? The three-time American League MVP acknowledges that he has thought about it.

¡°I would love to be in, but obviously that¡¯s not my decision,¡± Rodriguez said. ¡°I honor everything about the New York Yankees. It would be an honor.¡±

As Rodriguez spoke, he sat on a dais with Yankees greats Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, both of whom have had their numbers retired by the club. So have Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte, Rodriguez¡¯s longtime teammates, while CC Sabathia seems likely to be next.

Ultimately, any decision would be made by a committee of veteran Yankees executives, who are tasked with reviewing potential candidates. It is notable that the team has now twice issued Rodriguez¡¯s uniform No. 13 since his retirement: once to outfielder Joey Gallo, and currently to infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.

¡°He told me that he¡¯s glad I¡¯m wearing the number, so it was kind of sick to hear that from A-Rod,¡± Chisholm said after the Yankees¡¯ 9-2 loss to the Rockies.

Rodriguez says he treasures his connection to the franchise; eyeing Rodriguez wearing a pinstriped uniform top, Jeter cracked: ¡°He wears it at home all the time.¡± That would not be shocking; after all, Rodriguez has been photographed in retirement wearing Yankees gear on the streets of Manhattan.

Rodriguez has also been seen at Yankee Stadium plenty in his various on-air roles.

¡°I¡¯ve been back broadcasting for FOX and some of my work with ESPN, but I think just being back in the fold with the uniform on is pretty unique,¡± Rodriguez said. ¡°It¡¯s my first time back, and I¡¯m excited to be back. I¡¯m very proud of my time in New York, and I¡¯m very proud of being part of a championship team.¡±

Statistically speaking, there is little debate that Rodriguez¡¯s numbers meet the criteria for a place among the organization¡¯s greats. The top seven Yankees in career fWAR already have their numbers retired -- Babe Ruth (149.9), Lou Gehrig (116.3), Mickey Mantle (112.3), Joe DiMaggio (83.1), Jeter (73.1), Yogi Berra (63.8) and Bill Dickey (56.1).

Rodriguez -- who ranks eighth in club history with 51.5 of his career 113.6 fWAR as a Yankee -- registered 1,580 of his 3,115 career hits with New York from 2004-16, slashing .283/.378/.523 (136 OPS+) with 351 home runs and 1,096 RBIs in pinstripes. Only Ruth (659), Mantle (536), Gehrig (493), DiMaggio (361) and Berra (358) have hit more Yankees homers than Rodriguez; Aaron Judge (306) could eclipse him next season.

¡°I love being a Yankee,¡± Rodriguez said. ¡°It¡¯s a great family. It¡¯s just nice; nice to be back in the fold.¡±

But there were many lows and much drama over Rodriguez¡¯s decade-plus in the Bronx, including a historic suspension for performance-enhancing drug use that cost Rodriguez the entire 2014 season, prompting him to threaten litigation against the Yankees, Major League Baseball and a team physician. Those cases were dropped before Rodriguez returned to the team in 2015.

Rodriguez also was denied the storybook farewells that Jeter and Rivera enjoyed, with the club officially releasing him after an Aug. 12, 2016 game (a date that Rodriguez recalled on Friday, occupying nearly the same spot that he tearfully did that night).

At the time, the Yankees were turning their eyes toward the future -- rookies Tyler Austin and Judge would be called up and hit homers in the next day¡¯s game -- but Rodriguez believed he had more left in the tank. He retired with 696 home runs, and he would have loved the opportunity to chase 700.

Asked about Rodriguez¡¯s candidacy for Monument Park, manager Aaron Boone paused for several seconds, then replied: ¡°I mean, he¡¯s been a great Yankee. So I think that¡¯s a reasonable request.¡± It didn¡¯t sound like a ringing endorsement, and some of Rodriguez¡¯s former teammates hedged, too.

¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t answer that,¡± Posada said. ¡°I feel like his numbers speak for itself, so we¡¯ll see. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen. That¡¯s up to management.¡±

Added Sabathia: ¡°That¡¯s not up to me. I do think he probably should have won the [2009] ALCS MVP, or we should have shared it. In ¡¯09, if he doesn¡¯t hit some of those big homers or have some of those big at-bats, we definitely don¡¯t win.¡±