After several days of deliberation and speculation, the Yankees announced today that Alex Rodriguez will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow to repair the torn labrum in his hip. That should only keep A-Rod sidelined somewhere from six to nine weeks, an improvement on the original diagnosis that a cyst would keep him out for a full ten weeks.
Rodriguez's torn labrum will require more attention over time however. After playing out the season, he will have to go another surgery next off-season to fully mend. GM Brian Cashman said, "The surgery that will just repair the labrum tear right now would shorten his rehab. Then following the conclusion of the season going in and repair the remaining aspects that need to be repaired...We believe based on our dialogue ... that the long-term is being preserved. We're erring more on the long-term and short-term."
Of course, this being the off-season of A-Rod, we couldn't escape the straightforward news without just a little spin. Rodriguez's hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon emphasized that the tear was caused by rotational stress that came due to the third baseman being "a very strong hitter, strong batter."
Speaking of what a strong player A-Rod is, a source told today's Page Six, "He's been going into Victoria's Secret for the last seven months and buying $1,000 gift cards, sometimes five or six at a time. He must be giving them out like candy."
