Masahiro Tanaka is expected to start for the New York Yankees against the Seattle Mariners next week after missing nearly five weeks.

Tanaka last pitched in the Major Leagues on April 23 and has been on the disabled list since April 29 with tendinitis in his right wrist and a strain of the right forearm.

Joe Girardi says he'll likely take the mound on Wednesday or Thursday.

"We'll have a heart-to-heart talk with him, how he feels about where he's at," Girardi said. "You don't want someone going out there if they don't quite feel that they're ready to go. In a perfect world, he would start somewhere in Seattle."

Mark Teixeira typically gets off to a slow start, but he's been productive for the New York Yankees in April and May.

Teixeira is hitting .243/.365/.588 despite a low batting average on balls in play (.191).

Only Bryce Harper and Nelson Cruz have more home runs than Teixeira's 14 and he's one of only six players in baseball with more walks than strikeouts.

His low BABIP looks odd, but it's also the product of hitting more home runs than singles. Another reason is that Teixeira has refused to adjust to the defensive shifts he sees consistently.

Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run home run on Wednesday, giving him 1,995 career RBIs. He passed Lou Gehrig (1,993) and moved into third on the all-time list.

Rodriguez already had moved past Babe Ruth, who is credited with 1,992 career RBIs. Ruth's total is incomplete because the RBI was recognized as an official stat by Elias beginning in 1920. Ruth started playing in 1914.

"It's definitely an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth," Rodriguez said. "It is any player's dream; especially it is even more special to do it here at home at Yankee Stadium."

Next up on the official list for Rodriguez is Barry Bonds at 1,996. Hank Aaron has the all-time lead with 2,297.

Masahiro Tanaka is more concerned about remaining healthy for the rest of the season than rushing back to the struggling New York Yankees.

"I'm going to have to oversee my body a little bit better," Tanaka said through a translator. "But I can't go into detail."

The right-hander insisted that he won't alter his pitching style as he returns from an elbow injury.

"I'll be the same," Tanaka said. "I'm not gonna make a change."

Tanaka is expected to throw 65 pitches on Wednesday, which should make him ready to go to 80-85 pitches in his next game.

Alex Rodriguez tied Babe Ruth for fourth on the all-time MLB RBIs list by driving in the 1,992nd run of his career on Friday.

Rodriguez's RBI single to center in the seventh inning chased Rangers' starter Colby Lewis. Rodriguez went 2-for-5 in the Yankees' 10-9 loss.

The New York Yankees don't know how long Jacoby Ellsbury will be out of the lineup, but it has been determined that the outfielder won't require surgery on his right knee.

Ellsbury will be examined by Chris Ahmad, New York's team doctor, when the Yankees return home on Friday.

"It is not anything that requires surgery so we are not holding anything that is doom or gloom," Joe Girardi said. "We just have to see how he responds over the next few days and see what Dr. Ahmad says."

An MRI on Ellsbury's knee was negative.

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner says he is pleased with Alex Rodriguez's performance in his return from a season-long drug suspension.

Rodriguez, 39, began Wednesday with a .248 batting average, and his 10 homers and 22 RBIs were both second on the team behind Mark Teixeira.

"He's been a great asset. And he's been playing well, and he's been producing," Steinbrenner said.

Alex Rodriguez says he relates to Bryce Harper, who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16, the No. 1 overall pick at 17 and the Rookie of the Year at 19.

"I can't speak for Bryce, but for myself, the most normal part of the day was from 3 p.m. to midnight when I was at the stadium," Rodriguez told the New York Daily News. "The most challenging is what happens before and after."

Rodriguez was also the top pick at 17. He made his Major League debut three weeks before his 19th birthday. Despite the parallels, Rodriguez says the culture has changed since he won a batting title at age 20.

"The pressure that he's under doesn’t even compare," Rodriguez said. "His is so much harder, so much more challenging than when I came up. We didn't have any of the social media stuff. I give Bryce a lot of credit for how he's handling everything."

Many have labeled Harper as brash or arrogant because of the hype surrounding him and his confidence on the field, but Rodriguez disagrees.

"I love everything about him," Rodriguez said. "I like players that play hard. He wears his emotion on his sleeve, he's a gamer and he's a winner. As a fan of baseball, I would pay big money to watch him play — especially to watch him hit."

Masahiro Tanaka threw 29 pitches during a bullpen session on Monday as he works his way back from wrist and forearm injuries.

The New York Yankees will likely send the right-hander on a minor league rehabilitation assignment. The belief is that Tanaka will need at least one or two of those, meaning he wouldn't return to the Major Leagues until the end of the month at the earliest.

Tanaka has a 3.22 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and seven walks in 22.1 innings (four starts) this season.

Jorge Posada resents players who used performance-enhancing drugs and believes they should never be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"I don't think it's fair," Posada told "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday. "I really don't. I think the guys that need to be in the Hall of Fame need to be a player that played with no controversy."

Posada played with Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez, who both are outed PED users.

The former New York Yankees catcher said he has not made his views known to Rodriguez, but he thinks A-Rod would be surprised to hear his stance.