NASHVILLE – Alex Rodriguez will undergo hip surgery in January and miss the beginning of the 2013 season, the Yankees confirmed on Monday afternoon.
The Post learned that Rodriguez suffered a torn labrum in his left hip and was probably playing at least a portion of the postseason with the injury. Rodriguez had previously torn the labrum in his right hip and needed surgery in 2009.
The expectation was that A-Rod would need four-to-six months of recovery time and the Yankees were hoping he could return by June. In a statement, the team said Rodriguez will undergo a four-to-six week pre-habilitation regimen before having the operation, which will be performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
In 2009, Rodriguez returned in two months from the torn labrum in his right hip.
YANKEES OPTIONS TO REPLACE A-ROD
During the first round of the playoffs, Rodriguez was experiencing discomfort in the hip area, but an MRI exam was performed on the right hip, where he had the surgery. It was not until recently that Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed the surgery in 2009, and Dr. Kelly confirmed the tear in the left hip.
Rodriguez came back from that initial operation to play well, driving in 100 runs in just 124 games and starring in a postseason that culminated with the Yankees’ only title during his tenure. The Yankees and A-Rod hope that something similar will occur again.
In the short run, however, this puts incredible stress on the Yankees to find left-side-of-the-infield depth since Derek Jeter also is recuperating from a broken ankle that, at the least, threatens the start of his 2013 season and potentially impacts his movements and range. And this comes at a time when the Yankees already were looking for a right fielder, catcher and bench depth.
The hip issue potentially helps explain why Rodriguez suffered through such a miserable postseason, which ultimately led to his benching. He was 3-for-25 with no extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts during the playoffs and seemed to be unable to use his lower half during his swing. However, Rodriguez also is 37 and so age could be a factor in the decline and also his ability to recuperate well from another surgery.
Rodriguez is owed $113 million over the final five seasons of his 10-year, $275 million pact plus $30 million more in potential homer milestone bonuses.
With the Yankees vowing to get under the $189 million luxury tax threshold for the 2014 season, Rodriguez’s annual $27.5 million deal looms as a large impediment if he cannot play to even league-average abilities.