Alex Rodriguez Injury: Slugger Begins Single-A Rehab Assignment Friday

New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez will start a rehab assignment with the Single-A Tampa Yankees on Friday, according to Marc Carig, Yankees beat reporter for the Star-Ledger. The third basemen has been out of the lineup since suffering a broken fifth metacarpal bone in his left hand after being by a pitch from Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez on July 24.

Rodriguez was hitting .276 with with 15 home runs and 44 RBI before heading to the disabled list. The 37-year-old also missed significant time due to injury in 2011, when he played in only 99 games.

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MLB Trade Rumors 2012: Chase Headley A Possible Replacement For Alex Rodriguez?

After acquiring Ichiro Suzuki via trade, most would have thought the New York Yankees wouldn't need to make another big move at the MLB trade deadline. However, that changed Tuesday when Alex Rodriguez fractured his left hand and will be out 6-8 weeks.

The move now, speculates ESPN's Buster Onley, is to call the San Diego Padres and talk about a trade for third baseman/utility player Chase Headley.

Roster wise, the move wouldn't be a bad one as the switch hitter has 11 home runs and 50 RBI in the pitcher-friendly PETCO Park. However, reports have the Padres wanting solid prospects in return, a price, believes CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, that is just too high.

The Yankees are unlikely to make a big push for Headley after losing Alex Rodriguez, who's probably out until mid-September with a broken hand, because they don't want to give up the prospects it would take.

As of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the Yankees and Padres have yet to talk.

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Alex Rodriguez Injury: What Will Yankees Do At Third Base?