Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to DH Friday night for Single-A Tampa as he continues his rehab from a fractured left hand, according to general manager Brian Cashman and the third baseman could rejoin the Yankees next week against the Rays.
“That’s what we’re talking about,” Cashman said. “We always knew he was going to come back. This is just the next step in the process. When he does come back, we want him to be ready, so we’re not going to rush him.”
The Yankees open a series in Tampa Bay Monday and Rodriguez could be in the lineup by then. They visit Baltimore beginning on Thursday.
He has been out since being hit by a Felix Hernandez pitch on July 24 in Seattle.
Because minor league regular seasons are drawing to a close, there won’t be many places left for rehabbing players to get work in.
That doesn’t appear to be a problem for Rodriguez, but it could be one for Andy Pettitte.
Both Pettitte and manager Joe Girardi mentioned their concern for the ticking clock now working against the lefty as he comes back from a fractured left ankle, and Cashman said yesterday it’s something they will have to deal with.
“It’s an issue, but we can’t get him on the mound before he’s ready,” Cashman said.
Pettitte only has been able to throw off flat ground after suffering a setback in his recovery over a month ago in Seattle.
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Hiroki Kuroda will get the start tonight. Perhaps the most reliable Yankees starter of the second half, Kuroda is just 3-3 in his last six starts. But the three losses have been partially caused by a problem the right-hander has had in his first season in The Bronx — a lack of run support.
In the three recent losses, the offense scored just three runs for the right-hander. That includes his previous outing, a 3-1, complete-game loss in Cleveland. He’s 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA in his last three starts.
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Because Double-A Trenton is headed on a road trip, Pedro Feliciano is expected to pitch for Class-A Staten Island Friday night in Brooklyn as he rehabs from rotator cuff surgery underwent nearly a year ago after signing a two-year, $8 million deal.
He could be called up at some point after rosters are expanded, but the Yankees are not holding their breath for the lefty reliever’s return. … The team announced an eight-year extension with Trenton as its Double-A affiliate, bringing the agreement to 2022.