By Marc Carig
TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Monday morning to repair the torn labrum in his hip, a less complex procedure that will allow him to return to action in as little as six weeks, though he will still need to undergo offseason surgery to fully address his condition.
"The approach we're using is definitely much safer than letting Alex play the way he is now," said hip specialist Marc Philippon, who is treating Rodriguez and announced the news during a 30-minute conference call.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Rodriguez will remain in Colorado to undergo surgery on Monday morning, which will be followed by an aggressive rehabilitation plan that could take as much as four weeks.
Rodriguez made the decision on his treatment, though Philippon said the Yankees were "behind him 100 percent." Judging from an exchange of text messages on Saturday night, Cashman said Rodriguez was feeling upbeat about the decision.
"You could tell," Cashman said. "His tone was, 'My mind's made up, I've got a plan, and it's a good solid one. This is definitely the right way to go.' "
Since the tear was discovered last week, the Yankees and Rodriguez have been weighing several different options, ranging from having Rodriguez play through the ailment to Rodriguez undergoing surgery that would fully address the hip injury but knock him out for about months.
Said Cashman: "When it was all said and done, this seemed like the obvious choice."
Choosing arthroscopic surgery was essentially a stopgap measure that will allow Rodriguez to get back on the field at near full strength. The procedure on Monday will repair the labral tear and address one of the impingements discovered by a bone irregularity in Rodriguez's hip.
The repair of another impingement - which would call for a more complicated procedure - will be postponed until after the season. Philippon said there is risk that the remaining impingement could tear Rodriguez's labrum again before the season is over, though the risk is small.
"I think he's making the right decision," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "The damage that he could have done ... could have been pretty severe the way I understand it and that's not what any of us want. Alex is a big part of what we do around here. We need him healthy and we need him around."
Girardi said Cody Ransom will see more action at third base in Rodriguez's absence, though Cashman didn't rule out the possibility of the Yankees searching for another option.
Girardi said he hasn't decided how to adjust his lineup in the star's absence. But with a month left in spring training, Girardi said he is glad to have time to come up with a plan.
"It kind of gives us a little closure on it," Girardi said of the announcement. "We know what's going to happen now as opposed to wondering every day how he was going to respond."
Teammates acknowledged the challenge of overcoming the absence of the three-time Most Valuable Player.
"Nobody can really fill his role per se," designated hitter Hideki Matsui said, through a translator. "I think what's important is to make sure we all play to our abilities and fulfill our responsibilities."
Outfielder Johnny Damon said choosing surgery seemed to be the best option for both Rodriguez and the team, though he hopes the Yankees' improved pitching staff might help soften the blow of losing their cleanup hitter.
"The thing we have this year is two aces and a healthy Chien-Ming Wang," Damon said. "Pitching wins us games."
TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez will remain in Colorado until he's ready to resume baseball activities, general manager Brian Cashman said, though he does not know when the slugger will reach that point.
