Above: New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez

By the Caribbean Journal staff

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez met Thursday afternoon with Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina in Santo Domingo.

Rodriguez is in the midst of a high-profile dispute with Major League Baseball over alleged PED use during his time with the Yankees.

Rodriguez spoke about “various areas related to baseball” with Medina, according to a statement from the Office of the President.

Rodriguez’s parents were from San Juan de la Maguana, which is also Medina’s hometown.

“I did not know [Medina] was such a fan of baseball, he really showed me a lot of passion for baseball,” Rodriguez said following the meeting. “He is from San Juan, my parents are from San Juan and it was a very good subject for me.”

Rodriguez, who was joined by a “small entourage of assistants,” according to the government, met for about 30 minutes with Medina.

Rodriguez was born in New York City and spent parts of his childhood in the Dominican Republic and Miami.

Medina has regularly met with baseball stars from the Dominican Republic, including former Yankee Robinson Cano.