Yankees' A-Rod May Still Undergo Surgery

Surgery, no surgery...OK, now surgery...maybe.

The Yankees and Alex Rodriguez are still consulting with doctors (and A-Rod’s body) in an effort to determine whether it is better to have surgery now or try to play a season with a torn hip labrum.

General manager Brian Cashman spent two hours in a conference call Friday night with doctors, team officials, A-Rod, and agent Scott Boras to determine what they should do about the slugger’s future.

“We’re not there yet to make a decision,” Cashman said. “We’re making sure everybody understands the benefits and risks. It’s a pretty enormous task.”

If they decide against surgery, A-Rod will play the season with the tear and the pain could get worse at any time. It is the type of injury that players have played through in the past, though typically not for an entire season.

Even if he does play in 2009, he will still need surgery after the season, as the tear will not heal itself.

The gamble here is that maybe he could play (and the Yankees’ lineup wouldn’t need to miss its most important hitter), but all involved would be living under the injury's shadow. Each day, there would be a constant worry that that day could be the day that the hammer falls.

Conversely, if they opt for surgery, there is no replacement waiting in the wings for Rodriguez. Having his bat out of the lineup could seriously hamper the Yankees' ability to score runs. He would probably be ready to come back in late June or July, but by that time the Yankees could be pretty far behind in their very strong division.

How much of a risk is there? A source just told ESPN’s Buster Olney that there is a 75 to 80 percent chance he would be able to play through the entire season with a labrum tear.