Alex Rodriguez (hip) is scheduled to face live pitching for the first time this year on Tuesday in Tampa.

A-Rod is finally beginning to take major strides in his recovery from January hip surgery. He ran the bases at 75 percent effort over the weekend and is now ready to begin working on his timing at the plate. The veteran third baseman will be activated from the disabled list shortly after the All-Star break if everything continues to go according to plan with his rehab.

Alex Rodriguez (hip) ran the bases at 75 percent effort on Saturday.

It's a significant step as the third baseman works his way back from hip surgery. "I'm curious to see how he's going to feel tomorrow, or the next day," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Saturday. "But that's something that he hasn't been doing. And that's good." A-Rod has also been taking batting practice and fielding grounders. He obviously has a long ways to go but appears to be progressing on schedule so far. The Yankees are hoping to get him back shortly after the All-Star break.

According to the New York Times, the SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball expressed interest in obtaining Alex Rodriguez from the Yankees this winter.

But the Yankees didn't bother engaging in serious discussions with the Japanese club because they knew A-Rod would never agree to a trade. The veteran third baseman needed major hip surgery shortly after the Hawks' inquiry and that probably would have killed the deal anyway. Rodriguez is still in rehab mode from that January hip procedure and is currently aiming to join the Yankees' active roster around the All-Star break.

Alex Rodriguez (hip) fielded grounders and took 25 swings during in an indoor batting cage Monday at the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa, Florida.

Kicking off his third week of on-field activities following hip surgery, Rodriguez also ran from pole to pole near the warning track four times. "Not bad," said Rodriguez. It's not clear when he'll begin playing in games, but the Yankees hope to have him back around midseason.

Alex Rodriguez (hip) hit off a tee and ran Wednesday in a 40-man workout at the Yankees' complex in Tampa.

Rodriguez was cleared for baseball activities last weekend and is easing into heavy workouts. The veteran third baseman is not targeting a specific return date but should be available sometime around the All-Star break if all goes according to plan. He is on his way back from January hip surgery.

Alex Rodriguez (hip) arrived at the Yankees' spring training complex Monday to begin baseball activities.

He had been doing light rehab work in New York but is now ready to start moving toward full-on baseball drills at the Yankees' facilities in Tampa, Florida. Rodriguez is on track to return to the active roster at some point around the All-Star break. The veteran third baseman is recovering from January hip surgery.

Alex Rodriguez will report to the Yankees' spring training complex on May 6 to begin baseball activities.

A-Rod has been limited to treadmill running since mid-April but finally got clearance to ramp up his rehab on Thursday. The veteran third baseman is not expected to be ready until right around the All-Star break. He is on his way back from January hip surgery.

Alex Rodriguez (hip) told Yankees manager Joe Girardi that he is now able to run slowly on a treadmill.

"He was pretty fired up about that," Girardi said. Rodriguez is making fairly steady progress in his recovery from January hip surgery and should be able to join the Yankees at some point around the All-Star break.

Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that MLB has uncovered evidence that a representative of Alex Rodriguez arranged to purchase documents from Biogenesis.

This comes on the heels of a report on Thursday night that MLB was attempting to purchase documents from former Biogenesis employees. According to Schmidt, MLB felt motivated to purchase the documents after learning that Rodriguez had attempted to acquire them, potentially with the motivation to destroy evidence of possible PED use. A-Rod has flatly denied the report through his spokesman Terry Fahn, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

Alex Rodriguez told reporters Monday morning that his recovery from left hip surgery is "going very well."

"We're in the very beginning -- I would say Stage 1 -- in this recovery," Rodriguez said. "The recovery is going very well. I've been devoting 100 percent of my time and my focus into getting back and playing and helping this team win a title." The veteran third baseman is expected to be ready around the All-Star break. He did not take part in player introductions Monday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.