Alex Rodriguez Will Play Friday

NEW YORK - The New York Yankees say third baseman Alex Rodriguez will return to the team for its game Friday in Baltimore.

The team announced Rodriguez' return a few hours after he played in his final rehab game in Florida, going 0-for-2 with two walks and putting in three innings of defense.

Rodriguez had surgery March 9 on his right hip, but has recovered more quickly than expected.

The three-time AL MVP spent much of his rehab assignment facing questions about a biography released this week that suggests he used performance-enhancing drugs in high school and may also have taken them after he became a Yankee in 2004.

Rodriguez hasn't commented about the book.