Alex Rodriguez goes 0-for-2 in first rehab game - MLB

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.

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”