Ten lingering injuries that could have a broad effect on this season

Tampa Bay CF B.J. Upton had shoulder surgery in December and won't be ready for Opening Day. Brian Jenkins/Icon SMI Ted Keith's Mailbag Ted Keith will answer select questions from SI.com users in his Baseball Mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Ted Keith on Twitter

TAMPA, Fla. -- The man sitting in front of Alex Rodriguez's corner locker at Legends Field on Tuesday afternoon was most decidedly not Alex Rodriguez.

Even if A-Rod didn't possess one of the most recognizable visages in the world today, the easiest way to tell that the temporary resident flipping through a book in front of the cubicle by the side door was not the much-maligned slugger was this: There was no one else around him. For when A-Rod is back in town, the whole world will know it. His every move will be chronicled, his every swing discussed, his every word dissected.

Rodriguez's return will also mean that the Yankees will be ready to seriously challenge the Red Sox and Rays for AL East supremacy. If the silver lining to A-Rod's absence is the calm that it has brought to Yankee land, it is the dark cloud of his hip injury that threatens to overshadow the Yankees' efforts to return to the postseason. For now, Rodriguez remains in Colorado, rehabbing his hip after surgery and his image after a cutting experience of a different kind this spring.

Rodriguez is far from the only big-name player to be sidelined in recent weeks, but in typical A-Rod fashion his ailment is the one dominating the headlines. Among the other injuries afflicting major stars this spring -- Dustin Pedroia's abdominal strain, Johan Santana's troublesome knee and Manny Ramirez's lingering hamstring, to name a few of the notable -- most are mild enough to keep their teams from panicking as Opening Day approaches. Some, however, may well linger into the start of the season, which would begin impacting a team's performance and ability to get off to a good start. Here are 10 injuries that fit that description:

Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

Injury: Surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip; out until May.

Prognosis: A-Rod's injury is troublesome not only for the impact it will have on the Yankees this season but in future years, too. If his condition worsens, or even if it never allows him to return to the superior level of play that he's shown throughout his career, the Yankees will have invested a great deal of time and money in a player with diminishing ability. Manager Joe Girardi is optimistic that A-Rod's rehab, which is going well, will allow him to return to the team and perform well, but it'd be nice if that return came sooner rather than later. The Yankees have been notoriously slow-starters in recent years; a similar effort is inadvisable in such a power-packed division.

Cole Hamels, Phillies

Injury: Tightness in left pitching elbow; likely to miss Opening Day start.

Prognosis: Nothing makes the heart of a manager or general manager jump faster than hearing his ace has an injury in his pitching arm. In the case of Hamels, any serious time off would put a major dent in the Phillies' hopes of repeating as NL East champions, much less world champions, so the news that he came through his return to the mound feeling fine after receiving an anti-inflammatory shot was welcome indeed. (Though his return on Tuesday was overshadowed a bit by the returns of Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino from their stint with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.) Pitching coach Rich Dubee hasn't officially said that the World Series MVP won't be ready to start Opening Day, but all indications are that Hamels won't make his season debut until about a week into the '09 campaign. After that it's likely that the Phillies will proceed cautiously, rather than risk a flare-up of the injury.

B.J. Upton, Rays

Injury: Surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Prognosis: Upton played through that injury for most of 2008, but saw steep declines in his power numbers, from a .508 slugging percentage and 24 home runs in 2007 to .401 and nine in '08. Even after rebounding to hit seven homers in the postseason, he underwent surgery in December to fix his shoulder, and he still hasn't recovered enough to be ready by Opening Day. His power may be slow to return, but Upton remains a major offensive threat in other ways: his .383 on-base percentage last year was nearly identical to his number from '07, and his 44 stolen bases were double his previous year's output. His ability to get on base at the top of Tampa Bay's order is critical.

Joe Mauer, Twins

Injury: Lower back pain due to inflammation.

Prognosis: The initial problem for the Twins was finding out exactly what was wrong with their 25-year-old All-Star backstop (GM Bill Smith told MLB.com that it was "not a common ailment among players"). The new problem is finding out when the two-time AL batting champion will be back on the field. There is no timetable yet for his return to the Twins -- and any significant missed time not only getting back on the field but returning to his MVP form would be a potentially devastating blow to Minnesota's chances in the AL Central.