The New York Yankees are exhausted from defending dirty allegations.

Major League Baseball officials are numb from them.

Lord knows that his teammates are tired of the relentless questions.

Now, even Alex Rodriguez is ready to say, “Uncle!”

Rodriguez, who already has apologized to Yankees teammates, plans to adopt a stance that he no longer will answer any questions, or address any issues, beyond the playing field.

It’s time.

In a saga that’s made General Hospital look sober by comparison, it’s hard to know what to believe these days.

A person close to Rodriguez, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday that Rodriguez rejected a 100-game ban from MLB days before the announcement of his 211-game suspension and has a standing offer of 150 games.

Joe Tacopina, one of Rodriguez’s attorneys, reiterated Tuesday that Rodriguez “wants his day in court.”

MLB denies there is an active offer.

“We have not offered 100 games, and no offer is on the table,” MLB vice president Rob Manfred said in an e-mail to USA TODAY Sports.

A-Rod isn’t talking about it.

Tacopina said the Yankees originally misdiagnosed Rodriguez’s hip injury in October, then intentionally kept quiet in hopes he would suffer an injury that would prevent him from ever playing again.

“It could have destroyed his health, ruined his career,” Tacopina told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “That was reckless.

“The results were evident immediately, but for whatever reason, the Yankees did not share that with Alex. They did not tell him there was a tear in it. They let him go out there and play when he wasn’t fit enough to walk, let alone play.”

The Yankees said Rodriguez never complained of pain in his left hip, only his right hip, which surgically was repaired in 2009. It’s unknown how long Rodriguez had been playing with the injury.

A-Rod isn’t talking about it.

MLB is unjustly punishing Rodriguez, Tacopina said, and doesn’t have evidence to ban him for an inning let alone twice the amount anyone has been suspended for performance-enhancing drug use.

“Their case is in shambles,” Tacopina said. “They can talk a tough game, but we’ll see how they act in a courtroom and a court proceeding. I will annihilate them.”

Responded Manfred on Tuesday: “Every player involved in Biogenesis except Alex Rodriguez accepted their discipline. We have detailed information regarding his use of PEDs, which was longer and more pervasive than other players, and about his efforts to obstruct our investigation.”

Rodriguez isn’t talking about it.

MLB officials, Tacopina said, are violating criminal laws to seek information and, he reminds, have gone into a business relationship with a drug peddler.

“They have this thug mentality in their investigation,” Tacopina said. “They’ve committed two criminal offenses that we know of. Witnesses are terrified by the MLB investigators.

“They are relying on one person, (Biogenesis founder Tony) Bosch, for their whole case. He will take the Fifth Amendment or will be in jail. They have no witnesses.

“There’s never been a case like this that ever got close to a courtroom. No prosecutor would bring that to a courtroom. It’s beyond circumstantial. And he never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.”

Manfred’s response: “MLB investigators engaged in no misconduct. ... We have no comment regarding any of our agreements with witnesses.”

Rodriguez still isn’t talking.

It’s understandable if Rodriguez doesn’t have the stomach for this two-front fight anymore. He has a job to do. Games to win. A playoff berth to earn. And, yes, he has teammates to support.

Sure, Rodriguez told USA TODAY Sports last month he has made numerous mistakes over the years.

Yet, all the while, his teammates’ support never seemed to waver and publicly was displayed Sunday night in front of the baseball world.

Rodriguez was proud to be a Yankee.

He saw how manager Joe Girardi went ballistic charging after home-plate umpire Brian O’Nora after Rodriguez was drilled by Boston Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster.

He read all of pitcher CC Sabathia’s comments ridiculing Dempster, saying, “He violated every code in every way,” even after Dempster’s five-game suspension.

Every single one of them came to A-Rod’s defense.

Now, Rodriguez realizes, it’s time to come to their defense.

He informed several members of his inner circle Tuesday that he no longer wants to be an active part of the mud-slinging, name-calling and Jerry Springer theatrics.

Sure, he appreciates they’re protecting him. Yes, he still believes he was wronged by the club. And no matter MLB’s evidence, he doesn’t see how he deserves a 211-game ban.

Yet, he’s paying his attorneys to handle all of that behind closed doors, with arbitrator Fredric Horowitz ruling on it months from now.

Right now, he’s on a mission, hitting .296 with a .387 on-base percentage after Tuesday’s doubleheader sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.

And, yes, those were cheers he heard, a loud chorus of ’em Tuesday when Rodriguez stepped to the plate for the first time, realizing the Yankees fans are paying attention, too.

The Yankees have won eight of their last 10 games, hitting nearly 70 points higher since his return, averaging 1.4 more runs a game.

Rodriguez, if you can believe it, has made the Yankees relevant again, perhaps even contenders.

“I’m the crazy man that wants to go compete,” Rodriguez told USA TODAY Sports last month. “This is who I am.”

Rodriguez, after all, is a ballplayer. Now, he’s vowing to act like one.

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