ARod ramps up his workouts

Slugger on target for a May return to Yankees' lineup

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

Alex Rodriguez has been working out in Vail, Colo., following his hip surgery. (Tony Dejak / AP)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Alex Rodriguez has ramped up his rehab program as he comes back from right hip surgery, and the Yankees continue to believe that the All-Star third baseman will rejoin their lineup sometime in May.

General manager Brian Cashman said that Rodriguez would report to the club's training complex in Tampa next month, with mid-April estimated as the latest he would arrive.

The Yankees play a three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field from April 13-15, and Cashman expects Rodriguez to be working out on the Himes Avenue Minor League fields by then.

"Everything's going very well," Cashman said. "All the communication is that he's working extremely hard and everything is going as planned, which is good news."

Cashman has set his target date for Rodriguez's big league return as May 15, but manager Joe Girardi said that the three-time American League MVP expects to return earlier than that.

Girardi said he spoke to Rodriguez via telephone on Sunday and reported that Rodriguez has been increasing the intensity of his workouts.

"His rehab is taking another step," Girardi said. "He seemed in a good frame of mind. We miss him, and he misses us."

Rodriguez had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip on March 9. He has stayed in Vail, Colo., riding a stationary bike, working out in a pool and performing range-of-motion drills.

Cashman said that videos of Rodriguez's workouts have been shipped to team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad in New York, so the club is able to monitor his progress.

"The thing we know about Alex is that he's going to be in shape from all this rehab," Girardi said. "It's a matter of him being able to run comfortably and feel his timing is down."