Alex Rodriguez just concluded his first minor league rehab game with the Low-A Charleston RiverDogs. And while he didn’t contribute much in the way of offense, the night was far from a failure.
The veteran third baseman grounded into a double play in his first at-bat and struck out looking in his second at-bat, but he played three innings at third base and most importantly had no issues with his surgically-repaired hip. There was an over-capacity crowd at Charleston’s Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park — a big boost for that affiliate — and A-Rod thanked them for coming by signing autographs down the right-field line for a while after being removed from the lineup in the bottom of the third.
Rodriguez will slowly wind his way through the Yankees’ minor league system, working his way up to full nine-inning games. He is expected to return from his January hip surgery right around the All-Star break.
Yankees third baseman have hit .227/.288/.310 in 2013 and Kevin Youkilis is done for the year.