Alex Rodriguez Expects to be Back with Yankees on Monday

Appearing as a guest on the Mike Francesa Show on WFAN Wednesday afternoon, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said he expects to be back in the lineup for the Bronx Bombers by Monday.

"“I’m encouraged that I feel like I can play and play well today,” A-Rod said. “So after playing four straight games, seven- or eight-plus innings (in each), and being able to play today if I had to, that’s a great sign.”"

Rodriguez, who has yet to appear in a Major League game this season, is working his way back from off-season hip surgery. It was initially feared that he could miss the entire year and that his career may have been in jeopardy. While rumors swirl about A-Rod’s involvement in the Biogenesis scandal and what type of suspension he could be facing from Major League Baseball, Rodriguez has been showing that he’s healthy enough to play.

He began his rehab assignment at Low-A Charleston before joining High-A Tampa and moved recently to Double-A trenton. Rodriguez will join Tripe-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, where it is expected he will play the weekend before joining the Yankees as they begin a series in Texas on Monday.

Rodriguez has hit .179 (five-for-28) with one home run and six RBI in 10 minor league games this year. “I’d still like to see myself slide, breaking up a double play, but I think we’ve checked almost every box,” he told Francesa on Wednesday. For as much as the Yankees might not want Rodriguez as a member of their team going forward, at least privately, if he can return as even a league average hitter, he can be a boost for their injury-riddled lineup. Just how long he can play before the Commissioner’s Office levies their punishment for Biogenesis, however, is anyone’s guess.

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