TAMPA — He’s back — at least for BP — and he’s feeling good.
PHOTOS: OPENING DAY AT NEW STADIUM
On a day the Yankees were crushed in their Yankee Palace opener, the best news for the ballclub came out of the mouth of Alex Rodriguez here in the parking lot of the Yankees minor-league complex.
Rodriguez took batting practice for the first time since undergoing hip surgery on March 9 in Colorado. He took 49 swings and hit three home runs. He lashed multiple line drives and drove a ball off the batter’s eye in deep center. It was quite an impressive showing for his first full batting practice following surgery.
More than an hour after the workout ended Rodriguez came out to sign autographs for fans who waited patiently on the sidewalk. Asked about the batting practice session, A-Rod told The Post, “I feel really, really good.”
As for the impressive show of power in his first real swings since early March, he said he even surprised himself. He smiled broadly, again said how good he felt, and left the complex, knowing that progress is being made and that he is ahead of schedule.
Rodriguez is slated to come back to the club in mid-May, but he could be back as soon as May 8 against the Orioles, if all goes well, and perhaps even sooner.
On his 27th swing of the session A-Rod drove the pitch high over the right-center field fence on Field 1, 375 feet from home plate and directly over my head, the ball sailing another 25 feet. The session was closed to the media but The Post positioned itself on a hill along the outfield fence, as if it were a high-school baseball game.
By the time the ball landed, there was no doubt that Rodriguez had made substantial progress in his rehab. Rodriguez later hit two more balls over the fence, one to left-center and a screaming line drive to left. Unlike Monday, when he was just swinging lightly, hitting balls off the tee and working everything to the opposite field, yesterday Rodriguez hit the ball with force, sending Tampa staff members Josh Roach and Steven Ansaldi, who acted as shaggers, all over the outfield.
The entire workout lasted 62 minutes. Rodriguez also threw for 10 minutes, hit off the tee and did soft toss, and fielded ground balls. Unlike Monday when those balls were hit directly at him, yesterday Rodriguez moved left and right, though he remained on the infield turf. He has yet to field grounders in the cutout portion of the infield. He did appear to walk a bit stiffly and did no running.
There’s still a long way to go, but this was a day of progress.
Director of player development Pat Roessler pitched to A-Rod and also hit grounders and played catch with him. A-Rod is still knocking off the rust. He twice sailed throws over the head of Roessler, saying one time, “God-dangit, sorry buddy.”
A little while later A-Rod put a bat in his hands and the baseballs really started to sail.