Alex Rodriguez will undergo surgery on his left hip on Jan. 16, but there is no set return date for the slugger.

Dr. Bryan Kelly, who will perform the operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, acknowledged that Rodriguez's recovery could take longer and that the extent of the damage to the third baseman's hip will not be fully known until he is on the operating table.

"The big question is, how much cartilage damage is there, and how much unfixable damage is there?" Kelly said.