TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez underwent a crucial day of physical tests Friday, and surgery still loomed as an immediate option to repair the torn labrum in his right hip.

"We are still going through the process," said general manager Brian Cashman, after he emerged from a two-hour conference call that included A-Rod, who felt "noted improvement" on Friday, according to Cashman. Still, "we continue to weigh whether a surgical option is the best option," Cashman said. Earlier in the day, manager Joe Girardi said that if Rodriguez didn't respond well to Friday's battery of tests, "it might push him toward surgery."

The Yankees' slugger will eventually need surgery to repair the labrum tear in his right hip — a condition the club still hoped could be put off until season's end.

But with opening day less than a month away, A-Rod and the Yankees have a small window to minimize the time Rodriguez would miss; Cashman said surgery could cost A-Rod up to four months in recovery and rehab.

An operation in the coming days could put A-Rod back in the lineup around July 1.

"Ultimately, the decision comes down to whatever he feels is best," said Girardi, who spoke with A-Rod on Thursday evening.

"He sounded OK, but I think he's concerned, too," Girardi said. "Because it is a big decision he has to make. He's worried about the team, and how it affects us. So, I'm sure he's got a million thoughts going through his head."

In the interim, A-Rod will remain in Vail, Colo., where he's been examined at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic. Hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon was on Friday's conference call, which included club president Randy Levine, agent Scott Boras and Yankees physician Dr. Chris Ahmad.

"There are no surgeries scheduled," Cashman said.

A-Rod has also reached out to players who have had similar hip problems. Cashman would not reveal which players were sought out, but the Red Sox' Mike Lowell and the Phillies' Chase Utley played through similar conditions last season.

"This is a very difficult decision for everybody involved," Cashman said.

In recent talks with A-Rod, "he believes we have a special team, and he wants to be a part of it," Cashman said. But the surgical decision rests with the player. "Alex is our future," Cashman said. "What's best for him is what's best for us."

The Yankees won't reveal the grade of the tear in A-Rod's labrum, which was revealed when a cyst was drained from Rodriguez's hip on Wednesday in Colorado. Though an irregularity in the hip appeared on an MRI as early as last May, Rodriguez never complained of anything more than stiffness, and never sought treatment.

A-Rod took light swings and threw in Colorado on Friday, and reported increased ease of movement.

"Everybody is concerned, of course," Hal Steinbrenner told reporters at Steinbrenner Field. "(We are) just being cautious. We're going to take it slow."

Consider the Steinbrenners' investment. A-Rod is in the second year of a 10-year, $275 million deal, and Girardi admitted that his third baseman's contract is a factor.

"You expect Alex to be a productive player for a long time," Girardi said. "I mean, if he was retiring after the year, it's a no-brainer."

Lowell suffered through the same injury last season, and underwent surgery in October to repair the tear and remove a bone spur from the femur.

Starting around July, "he wasn't getting maximum (hip) rotation," Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said of A-Rod. But there was no pain, just a complaint of stiffness.

"When you watched Mike Lowell when he took a swing, you saw him wince," Long said. "There was nothing like that (with A-Rod). I'm just glad he went and got it checked out, because I would have had no idea."