The Yankees will be adding a power bat down the stretch even without making a deadline deal.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said yesterday that slugger Alex Rodriguez should be ready to return next week.
Rodriguez has been on the disabled list since July 7, when it was discovered that he had a tear in the meniscus of his right knee.
Rodriguez opted for arthroscopic surgery and was scheduled to miss six to eight weeks. That timetable appears to be speeding up slightly.
Girardi said Rodriguez will likely make a rehab start on Friday in Tampa. If the rehab appearances over the weekend go well he could return to the major league club Aug. 15. That game would be at Kansas City, with his home return the next week against Oakland Aug. 23.
Rodriguez was batting .295 when he went on the DL, with just 13 home runs and 52 runs batted in.
The team was 18-9 heading into last night’s matchup with Anaheim with Rodriguez out of the lineup.
