After admitting in a press conference in Tampa, Florida of his steroid use in 2001 to 2003, Alex Rodriguez will be back again but not to make another press release. He is back in Tampa to continue the rehabilitation of his injury. While in Colorado, A-Rod has been undergoing an accelerated rehab program. This was due to his hip surgery last March. He underwent a surgery on his cartilage due to a paralabral cyst.

In Tampa, he is expected to prepare for his comeback in the Yankees for this season. If A-Rod will be back in good shape, he is expected to join his team on May 15. According to Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Rodriguez is in a good frame of mind and the rehab is going well. Brian Cashman, Yankees general manager, is also hoping that A-Rod will be on his best in mid May.

In the interview by nydailynews.com, Rodriguez said that he is focused on coming back to his team. “I’m gonna go back to what I did in ‘07. Cut some of the fat out and really focus on playing baseball and focus on what I do best - and that’s playing baseball.”

He said that his stay in Colorado is good and helped him rethinks his priorities. “The time in Colorado was good. I took that opportunity to rethink things, recommit myself and really understand my responsibility to my teammates and my team,” he said.

A-Rod said that he was not only able to fix himself but according to him, when you’re able to rethink things and reorganize your thoughts you put your arm around where you want to go and what you want to do in eight months. “It’s all about our team,” he said.

Rodriguez is glad on his fast recovery as shown in his first training in the Yankees’ minor league complex. As part of his rehab session, he was required to do 50 minutes of stretching, soft toss and taking ground balls at third. To avoid too much stress on his hip, A-Rod was only allowed to hit off the tee in a batting cage. “Everything feels pretty good. It’s good to be back on track with a glove and a bat in my hands. It’s been awhile,” he said.

When asked on his full recovery, A-Rod did not expect too much. He said that he don’t want to jump the gun but his priority is to come back this season. “Ownership is committed to winning. I want to be a part of something that I think will be very special this year,” he said. Although A-Rod knows that there is a risk but for him it is a risk worth taking.

A-Rod shares his experience while in Colorado. He said in the interview that he was only able to swing a broomstick and mainly worked out in a swimming pool and on a padded gymnastic floor. He have not sprinted or swung 100 percent. With the surgery, he said that he have now more range of motion, flexibility and stability which he said he don’t have in the previous seasons. “I think I’m going to look back on Colorado as a good time to take a timeout and reflect on what I want to do and hopefully it’ll pay off in the long run,” he added.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS