NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez believes the New York Yankees do not want him to return this season, and perhaps ever again, a source told ESPNNewYork.com.

According to the source, Rodriguez thinks the Yankees are deliberately slowing his return to their active roster in the hope they can have him declared medically unfit to play this season, enabling them to recoup 80 percent of his $28 million salary through insurance.

"Alex thinks there's something really off about this situation," the source said. "Here we have a doctor declaring him fit to play. You think they would be happy about that."

Instead, Rodriguez's tweet Tuesday night -- "Visit from Dr. [Bryan] Kelly over the weekend, who gave me the best news -- the green light to play games again!" -- was met with an angry response from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who told ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand, "You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something, [we will]. Alex should just shut the f--- up."

According to the source, Rodriguez felt the GM's response was "over the top," and cemented his belief that the Yankees have been looking for ways to rid themselves of the 10-year, $275 million contract they gave him after the 2007 season.

"Alex thinks it's all about the insurance," the source said. "How could it not be?"

According to the source, Rodriguez believes the Yankees are delaying his return hoping time will run out for him to come back this season, or that Major League Baseball will hand down a lengthy suspension for his alleged involvement with Miami-area anti-aging clinic Biogenesis and its founder, Anthony Bosch, who is suspected of supplying numerous major leaguers with illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Both Cashman and team president Randy Levine strongly denied that the Yankees would prefer A-Rod not return to play this season.

"False and false," Cashman said to both theories. "He's not being slowed down or anything. Make no mistake; if Alex Rodriguez is healthy, we want him, and I want him, playing third base for us yesterday. We're clearly a better team with him. We're taking every step in the process, but we can't have him unless he's ready. Period."

Added Levine: "Nobody wants to delay him. The sooner he comes back, the better. If he comes back healthy, he'll really help us to be a better team, and that's what this is all about."

Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo said in a statement that Rodriguez, Cashman and Levine spoke Wednesday evening.

"Alex called Cashman around 5:30 [p.m.], Cashman got Randy Levine on the phone, and they spoke for close to 30 minutes," the statement said. "It was a constructive, healthy conversation. Everybody is on the same page. And we're all going to communicate and work together to get Alex back as quickly as possible. Everyone fully understands the protocol and processes in place. We're all back on track."

As to the allegation that the team is delaying in hopes that MLB will sideline A-Rod before the Yankees determine he is ready to return, Cashman said, "We have no knowledge of where the Biogenesis stuff is except for what I read in the papers. Baseball's in charge of this stuff. We're not a part of that process. They're not keeping us in the loop or making us aware of anything. For us, it's business as usual until they tell us otherwise."

There is little doubt that Rodriguez's relationship with the team has deteriorated since he signed the new contract following his 2007 MVP season, beginning with his admission that he used steroids while a member of the Texas Rangers.

The rift between the Yankees and A-Rod clearly widened last October, when, while mired in a 2-for-25 slump during the playoffs, manager Joe Girardi pinch-hit for him three times and benched him for three games, including two potential elimination games.