Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was hoping to return before the projected date of May 15, but suffered a blow to those hopes on Friday. He played in an extended spring training game between Yankees and Pirates, going 1-for-6 with a walk. He didn't play the field and didn't run the bases very hard either. "I felt good," Rodriguez said. "I'm looking forward to playing on the field." New York manager Joe Girardi has continued to insist that he won't rush Rodriguez. "I'm not going to give a date because I don't want to put any pressure on him," Girardi said. "I've stuck to that, but I've also said recently it's possible we're going to get him sooner than May 15." Girardi added, "Let's not rush him. He'll let us know when he's ready."