"Alex Rodriguez has ramped up his rehab program as he comes back from right hip surgery, and the Yankees continue to believe that the All-Star third baseman will rejoin their lineup sometime in May.

General manager Brian Cashman said that Rodriguez would report to the club's Tampa training complex next month, with mid-April estimated as the latest he could arrive.

The Yankees play a three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field from April 13-15, and Cashman expects Rodriguez to be working out on the Himes Avenue Minor League fields by then.

"Everything's going very well," Cashman said. "All the communication is that he's working extremely hard, and everything is going as planned, which is good news."

Cashman has set his target date for Rodriguez's big league return as May 15, but he said that the three-time American League MVP feels he may return earlier than that.

Girardi said he spoke to Rodriguez via telephone on Sunday, and he reported that A-Rod has been increasing the intensity of his workouts.

Rodriguez told Girardi that he planned to throw on Monday, the first time he had done so since the March 9 procedure to repair a torn labrum in his hip.

"His rehab is taking another step," Girardi said. "He seemed like he was in a good frame of mind. We miss him, and he misses us." "