A-Rod is beginning what figures to be a two-game rehab assignment with Class AA Trenton on Tuesday night. Watch video
TRENTON -- The Trenton Thunder already had begun taking batting practice for Tuesday night's Class AA Eastern League game when Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez first showed his face on Arm & Hammer Park's playing field.
Before fans were let in, A-Rod walked from the Thunder locker room to the dugout around 4:15 p.m., took a swig of water from a cooler and then chatted with one of his new teammates briefly before taking BP swing to prepare for his first game since suffering a right hamstring strain in Baltimore on May 3.
A-Rod in Trenton: What you need to know
Three scouts sat in box seats on the first base side as A-Rod sprayed bats to all fields in batting practice. He hit a lot of line drives to the left-center and right-center gaps, but none cleared the fence.
How did A-Rod look?
"Let's wait and see until he plays in the game," one scout said with a laugh.
A-Rod is expected to get two consecutive games worth of at-bats in this minor-league rehab assignment before presumably coming off the 15-day disabled list to play Thursday for the Yankees on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays.
A-Rod will hit fourth and DH on Tuesday for Trenton, which is playing the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
Left-hander John Anderson (2-4, 5.14), a journeyman who throws in the low 90s, will start for New Hampshire.
Left-hander Daniel Camarena (1-0, 3.60) will start for Trenton.
Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook.