The Return...

Alex Rodriguez, scheduled to return to the team on May 15th, could be back a bit early. Like, next week early. A-Rod has been progressing very well and quickly. According to the Yankees official site, he is expected to take live BP today and has been running the bases frequently. Hopefully he will be back with the team before May 15th, as we could a boost in the offense.

I must say I am very excited to have A-Rod's bat back in the line-up. I've watched most of the Yankee games so far, and to be honest, the line-up looks a little flat, especially with RISP. The team is hitting .223 with RISP with a .320 OPB. With the bases loaded, the Yankees are hitting a pitiful .071 with a .063 OPB (Thanks to Yankees Fan in Boston). If the Yankees want to win games, these stats must turn around. I think that A-Rod's presence in the line-up will help this in a couple of ways. First of all, when A-Rod comes back, the Yankees will be replacing their worst hitter (Cody Ransom- .180/.226/.320, Ramiro Pena- .235/.316/.235, Angel Berroa- .167/.167/.167) with their best hitter. This alone will do wonders for the line-up. A-Rod's return will also positively impact Mark Teixeira. Hitting infront of Alex Rodriguez isn't the worst thing in the world. 

Say what you want about his attitude, antics, and "negative impact on the team", but Alex Rodriguez can hit the hide off a baseball, and his return should do wonders for the offense.

Phil Hughes goes tonight. I've been a big fan of Hughes for a while now and I really hope he does well, at least better than he did last season.

I'll be back with lineups and what not.