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TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is set to play Tuesday night in his first minor league game on a rehabilitation assignment. And this time, all sides agree hes ready to go. Rodriguez said he felt fine and was eager to get on the field for Class A Charleston. "Awesome," he said Monday at the Yankees spring training complex. "Im really excited." Rodriguez said he didnt have a timetable for rejoining the Yankees, a team in desperate need of hitters. He was on a conference call with team officials earlier in the day. "I have no idea," he said. Last week, Rodriguez posted on Twitter that his hip surgeon had cleared him to play in rehab games. That upset Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who said Rodriguez hadnt been OKed by team doctors. Cashman lashed out at Rodriguez with a profanity, then said the next day that he regretted his word choice. Rodriguez later spoke with owner Hal Steinbrenner, with the executive reiterating that injury news should be announced by the team, not players. Now, no problems. "Its all been very positive. Were all looking in the same direction: ... Get back to New York as soon as possible, and tomorrow is the first big step," Rodriguez said. "Weve talked to all our doctors. Everyone has approved it." The Yankees rank near the bottom of the American League in runs and home runs. Minus Rodriguez, the Yankees have especially struggled at third base. Rookie David Adams is hitting under .200 and Kevin Youkilis, signed in the off-season to hold the job until A-Rod returned, was batting only .218 before he went on the disabled list with back problems. Rodriguez and Youkilis are among several injured players on the Yankees, who began the day in fourth place in the AL East. Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are also sidelined, as are others. Manager Joe Girardi called the rehab assignment "a step in the right direction." "I expect him to be a productive player," Girardi said before the Yankees opened a series at Minnesota. "The last time he got his hip fixed, he came productive. Hopefully this will solve some of the things he was dealing with last year and I expect him to be productive. "I cant tell you exactly what hes going to do, but I think hes going to be a good player," he said. The Yankees said Rodriguez was scheduled to start for Single-A Charleston in the South Atlantic League. Rodriguez was supposed to play at least three innings against Rome during the game in South Carolina. "It will be the first game that I play in, in maybe over eight months. Its been a long time. Its going to be great to suit up again. It gets me one step closer to helping my team win in New York," he said. Rodriguez has been working out in Florida this year while recovering from surgery on his left hip on Jan. 16. The three-time AL MVP turns 38 later this month. Many rehabbing Yankees play for the minor league team in Tampa, but lately the weather has been rainy. The inclement forecast prompted the Yankees to have Rodriguez start with Charleston. "Two things -- were working with the scheduling, where all these teams are at. Theres rain all over the East Coast. So, were just going to try and run away, try to find some good sunshine." "It has to do more with the weather. In an ideal world, we would always play at home because we can do more work, but if the weather is bad, we may have to jump over at X, Y or Z, depending where the sunshine is," he said. Rodriguez walked out of the camp carrying an equipment bag while a clubhouse assistant brought a box of bats. They put them in Rodriguezs car, and he signed several autographs before driving off. Rodriguez has 647 career home runs. The Yankees have struggled this season while Rodriguez and several other stars have been on the disabled list. Rodriguez has 20 days on this assignment to get ready to play. Once he is ready, Girardi said he still envisions Rodriguez as an everyday third baseman with no plans to make him a primary designated hitter. "Weve had trouble scoring runs," Girardi said. "Thats no secret. So itd be nice to get some big bats back." NOTES: SS Derek Jeter (ankle) ran the bases for the first time during his recent recovery. ... OF Curtis Granderson (broken finger) put on a glove and caught easy flyballs. Moussa Sissoko France Jersey . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Lassana Diarra France Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/paul-pogba-france-jersey/ . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Yohan Cabaye Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Benoit Costil Jersey . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Over the next few weeks, after long days of training camp on the practice fields of Missouri Western State University, Cairo Santos will return to his dorm room and hunker down in front of a TV.He will flip the channel to the Rio Olympics and get lost in the pageantry.You see, the only Brazilian playing in the NFL is as eager as anybody to see what kind of show his country puts on this August. The kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs knows better than most the many hurdles that have been overcome and the opportunity that Brazil has on the world stage.Unfortunately, Brazil has had that image of corruption for such a long time, Santos said in an interview with The Associated Press. But we are a country that has a lot of potential to be a great country, and were a country thats fighting to be on the right track.The run-up to the Rio Olympics has been dominated by negative news: organized doping by Russian athletes, fears over the Zika virus, polluted water, the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, venue and housing issues, a noticeable uptick in crime across the seaside city.Many of these issues, Santos said, have been part of Brazilian life long before Rio was awarded the first Olympics in South America. Its just that now the worlds attention is on the city, a glossy facade portrayed by tour operators has been pulled back to reveal a less savory underbelly.Unemployment is a problem. So is homelessness, organized crime and other social issues.Security is the main concern, said Santos, who spent time this past offseason in Rio and Sao Paulo, where his family lives and some of the Olympic soccer matches will take place.I wouldnt suggest being by yourself, at night especially, he said. The Olympic villages, near Copacabana and stuff, theres Olympic sites everywhere. Thats where the action is. Just being around there is the best place, where the police will be -- where the crowd will be.Like most Brazilians, Santos grew up playing soccer. He didnt start playing football until he moved to Florida as a foreign exchange student and his high school needed a kicker, and then he played the Maddeen video game so he could learn the rules.ddddddddddddHe was so good at kicking oblong balls through uprights that he earned a scholarship to Tulane.After winning the Lou Groza Award as the nations best college kicker, Santos was signed by Kansas City. The 24-year-old went to training camp in 2014 and competed against Ryan Succop, the most accurate kicker in Chiefs history, before eventually winning the starting job.In his first two seasons, he has made 55 of 67 field-goal attempts and missed just two extra points.Santoss success has quickly endeared him to Kansas City fans, but it also has made him a hero in Brazil. Very few people follow the NFL, but those who manage to catch games on satellite TV generally root for the Chiefs because of their kicker.Santos was mobbed everywhere he went during his trip home this offseason: his elementary school in Brasilia, the local TV stations where he was interviewed, his first Cairo Camp in Sao Paulo.He even hobnobbed with Brazilian mixed martial arts star Jose Aldo.Most of his trips took him to the glitzy areas of Brazil, but Santos knows well what the living conditions are like in the many slums -- called favelas -- that dot the countryside.He wonders how much of the Olympics will touch the people struggling to make ends meet.Those images probably wont show up when he flips on the TV at night at training camp. Instead, he will see the best of Rio -- Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, the panoramic vistas.Asked what he is most interested in, Santos gave a predictable answer: Im always curious about the soccer team. Theyve never gotten gold. Hopefully redeem ourselves from the World Cup fiasco (where Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany in the semifinals, then lost the third-place match to the Netherlands).But Im also excited to see how theyll deal with having the entire worlds attention on us, Santos said, and how were going to organize such a beautiful event like that. Its a good opportunity for our country to grow and change our image. ' ' '