Jeter has rehab game in Trenton Saturday

TAMPA, Fla. -- After two weeks of uncertainty, of open-ended workouts with no definite timetable for a return, Derek Jeter looked at ease Thursday morning, eager to move forward with a plan he said should have him rejoining the Yankees on Monday in Cleveland.

"I feel good. I feel a lot better. I'm ready to get out of here now," Jeter said after an hourlong workout to test his strained right calf at the Yankees' minor-league complex.

Barring any unforeseen complications, Jeter said he will work out in Tampa again Friday morning, then fly to New York and play two rehab games with the Double-A Trenton Thunder Saturday and Sunday. Jeter expects to join the Yankees Monday for a three-game series in Cleveland. Given that he needs six hits to reach 3,000, that could put him in position to become the first Yankee to reach the milestone next weekend during a four-game home series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

"The plans are for him to go to Trenton on Saturday, so unless something comes up between now and tomorrow, he should be in Trenton playing on Saturday," manager Joe Girardi said after Thursday's 5-0 win over Milwaukee. "And let's just hope things go well."

General manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that Jeter, if healthy, could return for the Cleveland series. When asked if Jeter will join the team in Cleveland, Girardi said, "That's definitely a possibility."

"I've never done this before, so I don't know what to expect," said Jeter, 37, who hasn't played since June 13 in the second-longest absence of his 17-year major-league career. "I've pulled muscles before, and at the beginning, you're always a little hesitant to do anything. Once you get over that, it's just getting in baseball shape."

Jeter again ramped up his workouts Thursday , taking 60 swings during five hitting sessions, the most he's taken in four days of escalating batting practice this week. He practiced hitting and then running out of the box to first base. While taking infield, Jeter practiced both sides of double plays, covering second without any hitches.

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Jeter was closer to full speed in his baserunning and more casual in his fielding, showing a relaxed comfort while working out with minor-league infielder David Adams.

"I haven't done anything for a couple weeks, so it takes a little while to get loose, get in baseball shape," Jeter said. "I feel good now. [Now it's] a workout here, play in Trenton on Saturday and Sunday, then go to Cleveland."

Jeter, who had a five-game rehab stint in Trenton in 2003 while he recovered from a shoulder injury, had 68 hits in 62 games before the injury, giving him a good chance to get No. 3,000 at home during the final series before the All-Star break. After the break, the Yankees open the second half with eight road games.

With Kimberley A. Martin and Anthony Rieber