NY Yankees star slugger Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez was probably trying to impress his current girlfriend, Torrie Wilson, when he took her and his 20-year-old niece shopping the other day. (He is pictured above with Silva, left, and his other niece in a photo dated Oct. 2009.)

According to the NY Post’s Page Six, A-Rod took his new girlfriend, Torrie, and his niece, Michelle Silva, shopping at the pricey Blue & Cream boutique on the Bowery in NYC on Feb. 15. He laughed as the girls literally threw it in the bag — to the tune of $17,600, which he paid for with his black AMEX card.

Store managers tell Page Six that Rodriguez is a regular at the boutique, and has previously dropped thousands of dollars on clothes for Silva and ex-girlfriends Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz.

So when Silva picked out a $1,250 pair of shoes by Chrissie Morris, dresses by Hervé Léger and other goods, A-Rod didn’t bat an eye. “Torrie was being price-conscious, but the niece was throwing in more and more clothes,” said a store rep. Rodriguez “joked around with the saleswomen while the girls shopped,” the rep added.

But when A-Rod’s niece took all her goodies home, her mother — A-Rod’s sister — was outraged at the high price her brother paid for the clothes. Silva’s mother told Silva to take everything back to the store.

According to Page Six, Rodriguez’s people called the store repeatedly asking to return the clothes, but Blue & Cream staff informed them they don’t issue refunds, only store credit.

A-Rod’s niece sent the store management an email, saying she couldn’t keep the expensive clothes. She also warned that her uncle will have to take “further measures” if a refund wasn’t issued, according to Page Six.

This weekend, American Express notified Blue & Cream that Rodriguez is disputing the charges.

“It’s ridiculous. Completely ridiculous,” a store rep told Page Six. “We have security tapes and coverage of him at the checkout counter. We’re completely not in the wrong.”