Alex Rodriguez will be in the Yankees’ lineup as the third baseman tomorrow night in Baltimore.
Joe Girardi confirmed the slugger’s return, which was first reported by the Post.
“We’re all very encouraged that he’s doing well and we’re all anxious to get him back,” Girardi said before the Yankees played Tampa Bay. “We would have taken him back five weeks ago, if we could.”
Going into today’s intrasquad game in Tampa, Fla., the understanding was that if there were no problems, Rodriguez would return tomorrow and play.
Rodriguez went 0-for-2 with two walks and played three innings of defense. Afterward, he shook hands and thanked support staff at the Yankees’ minor league complex.
Rodriguez had surgery March 9 to repair a torn labrum in his right hip. The 33-year-old credited Dr. Marc Philippon, who operated on the hip, and Dr. Mark Lindsay, a soft-tissue expert who has worked with him daily in Florida, for the success of his rehab program.
“They have worked (hard) with me,” Rodriguez said. “Philippon did a good job with the surgery. I feel blessed.”
The Yankees had set a target date of May 15 for Rodriguez’s return, but from the beginning there were reports he could be back earlier.
“A lot of us had a hard time wrapping our arms around it, that it was actually physically possible, because we hadn’t seen a player come back this quick from that kind of surgery,” Girardi said. “But now that we’re to this point, it’s kind of exciting.”
The return could not come soon enough for the Yankees, who entered tonight’s game against the Rays at 13-14 and losers of four straight.
The Bombers head to Baltimore to take on the Orioles tomorrow night for the start of a three-game series. The Yankees then travel to Toronto to take on the AL East-leading Blue Jays.
Rodriguez would make his debut in the new Yankee Stadium next Friday when the Twins are in The Bronx.
The Yankees have lacked production from third base, the position Rodriguez vacated when going on the disabled list.
Cody Ransom was slated as the team’s starter as the position, but he struggled before being placed on the 60-day disabled list with a quadriceps injury on April 25. Angel Berroa replaced Ransom, but Ramiro Pena has started eight of the past nine games.
The combined stats for the trio are ugly: a .216 batting average (22-for-102), 11 runs and 10 RBIs. The three do not have a single home run between them.
Rodriguez hit .302 with 35 home runs and 103 RBIs last season.
“I’m not expecting Alex to hit a home run every time and get a hit every time he comes up and every time there’s a runner on he drives them in, but I know it changes the way a team approaches our lineup,” Girardi said. “It makes our lineup deeper. He’s a threat every time he walks up to the plate, there’s just so many things he can do.”
Mark Teixeira, who likely will bat in front of Rodriguez in the lineup tomorrow, has been struggling without Rodriguez’s protection. The first baseman was batting .209 with five home runs this season and has started to hears boos at home games.
“We’re all excited, we’ve been excited to have Alex back since he started his rehab and started playing games in Tampa,” Teixeira said. “He’s A-Rod, he’s going to put up MVP numbers every single year.”
Rodriguez was embroiled in a winter of controversy after Sports Illustrated reported he was on a list of 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003. The list was supposed to be anonymous and the names protected.
He had successful surgery March 9 and has been rehabbing since, first in Colorado where the surgery took place then at the Yankees training facility in Tampa.
Rodriguez has been playing in minor-league games for a week now and yesterday slid into a base for the first time since the surgery.
With Justin Terranova; AP