The New York Yankees could have third baseman Alex Rodriguez back as soon the second week in August, according to general manager Brian Cashman.Good news all around.
In an interview on that aired Sunday on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight," Cashman said Rodriguez is "doing very well" in his rehabilitation from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
"He's in a pool. He's on a bike. (He's) still got a little bit of a limp, which is normal. But I'd be looking at him (returning) maybe the second week of August, you know, at the earliest for me," Cashman said. "That's just us being conservative. I think we can push it and get him back sooner but, why? Our offense is strong."
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Cashman also believes setup man Rafael Soriano will return to the Yankees on Wednesday or Thursday.
... Cashman, speaking before Soriano's outing on Sunday, said Soriano will make another rehab appearance Monday and -- barring any set-backs -- return to the Bronx shortly thereafter.
"If everything goes right, he'll do back-to-back (appearances) today and tomorrow and then I'll activate him probably Wednesday. Wednesday or Thursday," Cashman said.
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In other injury news, Cashman said backup infielder Eric Chavez will return to the Yankees on Tuesday.
In case you were wondering, Soriano threw an inning in relief today for the SWB Yanks, allowing a run on one hit (a homer) and a strike out in one inning of work. Eric Chavez went 0-for-4 for Single-A Tampa.