OFF THE FIELD

A-Rod Sidelined Until May

Yankee needs hip surgery.

Yankee fans will have to wait until the end of spring to see Alex Rodriguez return to the field, ESPNdeportes.com reports. According to his brother, A-Rod will be missing spring training and opening day because of surgery needed to remove a cyst on his hip. "It's a big blow for the whole family. Alex is destroyed," Joe Rodriguez said. "We were all very excited to see him play with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. But the most important thing is to have a successful surgery so that Alex may continue his career." ESPN reports the surgery is set for Monday in Colorado. "If true, this is far more damaging to the Yankees than any steroid revelations... There's no replacement on the roster for A-Rod," NBC New York adds.