Brian Cashman, via SNY’s Geico SportsNite yesterday, shared that the Yankees will taking the “conservative route” with A-Rod -meaning “rest, treatment and exercise.” Here’s the clip:

But, now, Peter Abraham has shared the following:

We just spoke to Joe Girardi for quite a while about A-Rod.

Things have changed since yesterday. The Yankees said then that the plan was for Alex to try and play and have surgery after the season. Now both Hal Steinbrenner and Girardi have talked about Alex needing to make a decision about having surgery.

Alex underwent more tests today and supposedly planned to throw and even hit in a cage out in Colorado. Then he will take a day or two to decide what to do, in consultation with the Yankees.

The sense I get from talking to people both in Tampa and elsewhere is that Alex will be having the surgery and it would be as soon as Monday. The Yankees are fearful of his trying to play and then having to come out of the lineup.

By having the surgery now, the team has a month to prepare for life without Alex and his rehab clock starts ticking. Essentially, March is a free month of rehab.

Last night, I wrote:

…I think the Yankees plan is a stall tactic. The Yankees may have told Alex to stick his surgery plans in his pocket for a few days, or more, as they use this move to buy some time, circle their wagons, and figure out what they’re going to do this season – because they know that A-Rod wants to have this surgery. And, he wants to have it now.

That theory is starting to look more and more like it’s going to become a reality…