A-Rod to return from DL on Tuesday

Alex Rodriguez, who hasn't played since early May due to a hamstring strain, is poised to be activated from the disabled list Tuesday when the New York Yankees open a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx, manager Joe Girardi told reporters Saturday.

Though the Yankees entertained the possibility of activating the 40-year-old designated hitter in time for their weekend series against the Oakland Athletics, the club felt it best not to rush Rodriguez back.

"We're going to give him a couple of extra days to make sure he's OK,'' Girardi said. "He's feeling pretty good, but he wouldn’t have played today anyway because he did so much yesterday. So it makes sense probably to give him a couple of extra days.''

Before landing on the disabled list, Rodriguez battled a minor oblique issue that sidelined him for a couple days in late April, but the 14-time All-Star had been one of the Yankees' hottest hitters when he injured his hamstring, hitting .353 with three homers and a pair of doubles in the five games before pulling up lame May 3 in Baltimore.

In 20 games this year, Rodriguez is hitting .194/.275/.444 with five homers and a 25 percent strikeout rate.

In his absence, though, Carlos Beltran has filled in with aplomb, as the 39-year-old posted a .938 OPS with five homers since May 4 as the Yankees' primary DH.