A-Rod's Return To Yankees Delayed, To Play At Trenton Tuesday
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Alex Rodriguez needs to pass one final test.
The veteran slugger was expected to rejoin the Yankees on Tuesday night for the opener of their three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays following a stint on the disabled list due to a hamstring injury. However, his return will not happen until at least Wednesday, WFAN's Sweeny Murti reported.
The Yankees announced that Rodriguez will do a rehab stint at Double-A Trenton starting Tuesday night.
"I had a conference call yesterday with (Joe) Girardi, (Rob) Thomson, (Alan) Cockrell and decided a rehab assignment was best since Alex has not faced live pitching in three weeks," general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday.
The Bombers have done just fine without Rodriguez, going 13-6 since he went down with his injury on May 3. New York (21-22) has won five straight games to move within .500 following a dreadful start to the season.
A-Rod, who sits at 692 career home runs, is off to a slow start, batting just .194 with five homers and 12 RBI in 20 games.
One slugger who will play in the series opener Tuesday is Jose Bautista. The Blue Jays' outfielder has the appeal of his one-game suspension for his role in the bench-clearing brawl against the Texas Rangers scheduled for Thursday, so it's likely he will take part in all three games against the Yankees, Murti reported.