Updated: March 5, 2009, 11:08 AM ET
Brother says A-Rod to have surgery
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ESPN.com news services
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will have surgery to remove a cyst from his right hip and will beout 10 weeks, Rodriguez's brother told ESPNdeportes.com on Thursday.
Joe Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez's older brother, told Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com during a phone interview that immediate surgery was recommended, andthat rehabilitation would take about 10 weeks.
A source close to the situation told ESPNdeportes.com that the surgery is scheduled for Monday in Colorado.
There has been no confirmation from the Yankees regarding the scheduled surgery.
It also means that A-Rod will not be able to participate with the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic.
"It's a big blow for the whole family. Alex is destroyed," Joe Rodriguez told ESPNdeportes.com. "We were all very excited to see him playwith the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
"But the most important thing is to have a successful surgery so that Alex may continue his career."
Stan Javier, general manager of the Dominican Republic's team at the WBC told ESPNdeportes.com: "I haven't received any information on the resultsof the medical exams performed on A-Rod."
Rodriguez felt tightness and stiffness in his right hip this spring and was examined by team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad on Saturday, the Yankees said. An MRIexam showed the cyst.
Rodriguez then went to be evaluated Wednesday by Dr. Marc Philippon in Vail, Colo. It has been a rough spring for the All-Star third baseman.
Rodriguez arrived at the Yankees' camp last month in Tampa, Fla., shortly after a report that he had positive for steroids in 2003. During a newsconference, he admitted he had used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003, saying they came from the Dominican and were provided by his cousin.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.