A-Rod to have knee surgery on Monday

[July 11, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Alex Rodriguez is going to have surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his right knee, and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

The Yankees say the slugging third baseman will be operated on Monday by Dr. Lee Kaplan at the University of Miami.

Rodriguez will likely be back in time for the final month or so of the season, when the Yankees expect to be in a race with Tampa Bay and Boston for the AL East and wild card.

Before Saturday's game, New York manager Joe Girardi revealed the injury to the leg Rodriguez uses to push off while swinging. An MRI on Friday showed a slight tear in the cartilage.

Rodriguez, who turns 36 later this month, has already pulled out of next week's All-Star game.

The three-time AL MVP is hitting .295 with 13 home runs and 52 RBIs this season. But the slugger with 626 career home runs has not connected since June 11 and has gone 85 at-bats without a homer, his longest single-season drought.

Rodriguez tweaked his knee at Wrigley Field on June 19, and the tear in his meniscus has slowed him on the bases. He is batting .359 with 10 RBIs in his last 16 games, but has looked much more like a singles hitter than a power hitter.

Eduardo Nunez, who provided a spark while filling in recently for injured shortstop Derek Jeter, has an on-base percentage of .317 with eight doubles and three homers in 119 at-bats.

Rodriguez was elected by fans to start for the AL in the All-Star game Tuesday in Phoenix. Boston's Kevin Youkilis has replaced him on the roster.

[Associated Press; By RICK FREEMAN]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.