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Alex Rodriguez is bat-flipping his way back to the Yankees

After missing three weeks with a hamstring injury, Alex Rodriguez is poised to rejoin the New York Yankees on Thursday after completing a successful rehab stint with the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

Rodriguez, 40, went 3-for-6 during his brief two-game stop, including launching a monster home run over the 407 sign in center field at Arm & Hammer Park on Wednesday night. Rodriguez punctuated that home run against New Hampshire Fisher Cats hurler Casey Lawrence with a pretty exuberant bat flip, which many saw as his final proclamation that he's ready to return.

[Elsewhere: Rangers rookie Nomar Mazara crushes longest homer of the year]

"Whether you're playing in high school or playing in the Major Leagues, a home run feels good," Rodriguez told the assembled media. "The ball came off of the bat nicely; you have to walk before you run. That was a good start today."

You have to walk before you can run. And before you walk, you most certainly should bat flip. That is, if you can ever get the bat away from Trenton's fearless bat dog.

Rodriguez did not specifically discuss the prominent disposal of his lumber, but his previous quote seems to have summed up how he was feeling. As does this one.

"In all of my at-bats, I felt good," said Rodriguez. "I told the guys yesterday that I felt good, surprisingly. I saw the ball pretty well. I made good contact, and that last one felt good."

There's no doubt Rodriguez and his 692 career home runs are on the way. Now the question is: where do they all fit?

It's not like he was tearing it up before his injury, hitting just .194/.275/.444 across the board through 20 games. He did have five home runs, which at the time felt like an important number given the Yankees offensive struggles. However, Carlos Beltran has since settled in quite nicely at A-Rod's designated hitter spot, posting a .292/.329/.667 line with six homers and 20 RBIs during Rodriguez's absence.

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The Yankees have to realize putting Beltran back in the field on a regular basis isn't in their best interests. They need him healthy and they need his pop in the lineup. That could turn A-Rod into a part-time player, or even an ace-in-the-hole pinch hitter that Joe Girardi can play matchups with.

It's almost the dynamic many of us anticipated last season, not fully knowing what Rodriguez would be upon his return. It turns out he was great then, but right now the Yankees have to figure who their best players are and roll with them unflinchingly if they hope to rally in the AL East.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!