Yankees' Alex Rodriguez: Hitting in cage Thursday

Rodriguez (hamstring) will hit in the cage Thursday for the first time since being placed on the disabled list, Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network reports.

Analysis:

Rodriguez has been shut down for the past week due to a Grade 1 hamstring strain, but he's progressing well and is scheduled to both hit in the cage Thursday as well as do some light conditioning work. The key factor in determining the next step will be gauging how sore he is Friday given that Thursday marks his first baseball activity in over a week. Still, there is optimism that Rodriguez could be ready to come off the DL once he's eligible late next week.