Rodriguez, Posada, Hughes all headed to Tampa

5/7/2008 10:05 PM

NEW YORK (AP) -Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Phil Hughes are expected to travel to the New York Yankees' spring-training facility in Florida on Thursday to continue rehabbing their injuries.

Rodriguez (strained right quadriceps) ran in the outfield before New York's 3-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night. The third baseman also played catch, fielded grounders and took batting practice.

Rodriguez, a three-time AL MVP, is expected to continue with a similar routine over the next few days. Manager Joe Girardi said he will have an MRI early next week and will not play a rehab game until he has the exam.

``If he had the MRI Monday morning and it came back clean, you're probably still looking at Thursday or Friday,'' Girardi said about Rodriguez's return.

The Yankees begin a four-game series at Tampa Bay on Monday and Rodriguez is eligible to come off the DL next Thursday.

Girardi also said Posada could take batting practice on Friday. The catcher went on the disabled list April 28 with right rotator cuff tendinitis.

Hughes has a stress fracture in one of his ribs, and the right-hander isn't expected back before July.

In other news, Girardi said the team hasn't heard anything about Kyle Farnsworth's appeal of his three-game suspension. The reliever was suspended for throwing a fastball behind the neck of Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez last month, and had a hearing Tuesday.