A-Rod to have hip surgery

New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez will have arthropedic surgery on his injured right hip, General Manager Brian Cashman said Sunday.

The surgery will be performed Monday in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Mac Philippon of the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic for sports medicine and orthopedic surgery, Newsday reported.

Earlier, the Yankees had decided against surgery, choosing a rest and rehab period instead.

Cashman said the decision to go ahead with the operation to repair torn cartilage was made during discussions the past two days.

The goal here is to allow Alex to rehab rapidly in a safe manner, Philippon said. The approach we’re using is much safer than letting Alex play the way he is now.

Rodriguez could be ready to play within two months, a team report said.

The 33-year-old third baseman has 553 home runs and a .306 batting average in his major-league career.