SEATTLE — Until he hears from Dr. Chris Ahmad today in Manhattan, Alex Rodriguez won’t guess if he needs surgery or about a return date from a fractured left hand.
He did say that his season didn’t end Tuesday night when drilled on the hand by Felix Hernandez.
“I expect to come back and come back strong,’’ said Rodriguez, who was fitted by a local doctor with a cast. “The one good thing here is we play to the end of October.’’
Brian Cashman is the Yankees’ general manager, not the team physician. So while medical experts believe there is a chance Rodriguez won’t miss 6-8 weeks with the non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal, Cashman said he believes his AL East-leading club will be without Rodriguez longer.
“It’s four to six weeks for the healing process,’’ Cashman said yesterday, when Eric Chavez played third base in a 5-2 Yankees win over the Mariners at Safeco Field. Chavez went 0-for-2 and walked twice. “It’s eight weeks for me. That’s my amateur prognosis.’’
Like Rodriguez, manager Joe Girardi isn’t into the prediction business.
“Not until he sees Dr. Ahmad,’’ Girardi said, when asked for a timetable on Rodriguez’s return.
Rodriguez was on an 11-game stretch in which he was batting .349 (15-for-43) with two homers and four RBIs. The Yankees have been without Mariano Rivera since early May, Andy Pettitte hasn’t pitched since June 27 and CC Sabathia missed three weeks. Now, they are without their hottest hitter as well.
“They are all tough but the season doesn’t stop,’’ Cashman said of the injuries. “My job is to make sure we have a really good team on the field when we start and line up insurance behind those guys.’’
For now, the Yankees will use Chavez and Jayson Nix — who delivered the game-winning, three-run double in the eighth — while the searching the landscape for a player to play third who is an upgrade.
Considering the overall state of third basemen throughout the industry, that won’t be easy.
Despite an arm that is considered short for third, the versatile Marco Scutaro of Colorado received high marks from talent evaluators. But with roughly $2 million remaining on his contract, would Scutaro be that much of an upgrade for the Yankees over Nix?
“I have not made any calls on it,’’ Cashman said yesterday.
As for how he uses Chavez, whose injury history is deep, Girardi said he will be cautious, and he asked Chavez to be honest.
“You have to be smart. He has had back and shoulder issues,’’ Girardi said. “You just have to watch him. I told him that if he feels something, let me know.’’
george.king@nypost.com