A-Rod sent on rehab stint, won't rejoin Yankees on Tuesday

Alex Rodriguez was supposed to be in the Bronx on Tuesday night. Turns out he'll be in Trenton, instead.

Sidelined since early May with a right hamstring strain, the 40-year-old designated hitter will start a rehab assignment with his club's affiliate in the Double-A Eastern League rather than rejoining the New York Yankees for their series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, as expected.

It's unclear how many rehab games Rodriguez will need - he hasn't seen any game action since pulling up lame May 3 in Baltimore - but the 14-time All-Star stressed the importance of taking it slow when asked about his recovery last week.

"Hamstrings are always tricky," Rodriguez told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "The key for me is to be patient and be smart when I come back. When I come back, I want to come back for good and be ready to help the team win."

In 20 games this season, Rodriguez owns a .719 OPS (94 OPS+) with eight extra-base hits and a 25 percent strikeout rate, but the three-time MVP hit .368/.400/1.000 with three homers in his last six games before landing on the disabled list.