Yankees Slugger Rodriguez Facing Possible Surgery

New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has a slight cartilage tear in his right knee and may need surgery that would sideline him for a month, manager Joe Girardi told reporters Saturday.

Rodriguez sat out Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays and Girardi said a decision on whether he would need an operation would be made by Sunday.

"I'm going to talk to Alex and see how he feels and what he thinks and then form my opinion on it," Girardi said. "I don't want to influence his decision, I don't.

"I don't know how he truly feels. That's only something that he can evaluate, so I want to listen to him and then discuss it with him."

Rodriguez, 35, hurt his knee running the bases against the Chicago Cubs last month and underwent tests Friday because of the lingering soreness he felt.

The third baseman, MLB's highest paid player at $27 million a season, could decide to play through the injury as Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia did with a similar injury last year.

"Players have done it before. You're not ever sure how productive they're going to be, and if you're going to need to get them a day off here. It's unpredictable," Girardi said.

"But if he decides to have surgery, we'll live with that too."

Girardi said the Yankees, who trail the Boston Red Sox in the American League East standings, would certainly miss Rodriguez's bat.

"It's a big part of your lineup," Girardi said. "It's a productive piece, it's a guy that's hit .300, that has home-run capabilities. But if he decides to have surgery then we have to get through it, that's all."

The injury might be a factor in Rodriguez's diminished power at the plate of late.

He has not hit a home run in his last 85 at-bats, the longest dry spell of his career.

Rodriguez is batting .295 with 52 runs batted in over 80 games. He has hit 13 home runs so far, putting him on pace for 24 for the season, which would snap his streak of 13 successive seasons with 30 or more home runs.