Alex Rodriquez shelved for 4-6 months

Alex Rodriguez is going back under the knife.

A source Monday morning said the 37-year-old Yankees third baseman suffered a tear in his left hip during the 2012 postseason.

Rodriguez suffered a similar injury in his right hip in the spring of 2009.
He will have surgery in January to repair a torn labrum, bone impingement and the correction of a cyst, the team announced Monday afternoon. He is expected to miss 4-6 months.

"First and foremost, you want Alex to be healthy," Derek Jeter, who is recovering from a broken ankle, said Monday on ESPN Radio. "That's the key."

The surgery will be performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Rodriguez must first complete a pre-surgery regimen that should take 4-6 weeks, the team said.

Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed a similar surgery on Rodriguez's right hip three years ago, first discovered the left hip injury during an end-of-season exam in November. Kelly confirmed the diagnoses after the team sought a second opinion.

Rodriguez has five years and $114 million left on his contract.

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Options to hold the fort until Alex is back

The Yankees had been in the market for a "super-sub" of sorts, a player who could play both short and third, but Alex Rodriguez's long-term absence means an immediate need at the hot corner.

Here's a look at three players the Yankees have had their eyes on who could wind up in pinstripes for 2013, with their 2012 positions listed in parentheses.

STEPHEN DREW (SS)
A solid hitting shortstop with the Diamondbacks for many years, injuries ultimately made him expendable and allowed the Athletics to land him in late August. He hasn't played any other position in the majors but is a better-than-average fielder who might be able to pick up third base while A-Rod recuperates. He'll be 30 years old by opening day.

JEFF KEPPINGER (1B, 2B, 3B)
Mets fans may remember his 2004 cup of coffee in New York. He has also played 131 games at shortstop since 2008. The 32-year-old hit .325 last season with the Rays and might be best-suited to fill Rodriguez's shoes in the field, even if he lacks the same level of power in his bat (nine homers last year were a career high).

MARCO SCUTARO (2B, 3B, SS)
The Yankees were interested in the 37-year-old before last season's trade deadline, though the Giants ultimately secured the infielder in a deal with the Rockies. The 2012 NLCS MVP may be the most difficult - and costly - player to acquire. Scutaro is coming off a superb season in which he had 190 hits and just 49 strikeouts.

(amNY/Newsday)