Alex Rodriguez has been given two games off to recharge his batteries, something he says he wouldn't think about doing in September. "You understand the big picture," Rodriguez said. "It's the middle of June. If we were in September, I would be playing tonight." Rodriguez is hitting just .212 since returning from hip surgery, and the club decided that rest was in his best interest. He sat out Friday's game, and will sit on Saturday as well. "We just feel that he's fatigued and that he could use a little blow," manager Joe Girardi said. "We talked about giving him one day off and we were thinking about doing it (today), but after we slept on it, talked about it and discussed it, we're going to give him two days off. The second day off is the one that really rejuvenates you." On Thursday, Rodriguez told his manager that he could probably use a day off after playing in every game since his return. "You want to be out there with strength and energy and help your team," A-Rod said. "The most important thing in this process of having surgery is that I have to maintain good communication and be very honest with Joe so we can have a plan in place. It's a long season."