Jeter senses rehab assignment isn't far

MINNEAPOLIS -- Yankees captain Derek Jeter said on Thursday that he feels close to being cleared to begin a Minor League rehabilitation assignment.

"I'm anxious to be playing in games," Jeter told The Associated Press in Tampa, Fla. "When they tell me to play, I'll play."

Jeter worked out at the Yankees' complex in Tampa on Thursday, one day after he took simulated at-bats and ran the bases. Jeter has been recovering after a second fracture was discovered in his surgically repaired left ankle on April 18.

"Everything felt good," Jeter said.

Like Alex Rodriguez, who played two games with Class A Charleston this week and is expected to join Class A Advanced Tampa on Friday, Jeter will likely require a full 20-day Minor League rehabilitation assignment.

Also on Thursday, outfielder Curtis Granderson tested his recovery from a fractured knuckle on his left hand by taking around 15 swings in an indoor pool with a lightweight pipe, the initial step in the process to resume hitting.

"To know that this is the first step and we've checked that off is good news," Granderson told the AP.