Swings bat amid rehab by Derek Jeter.

Derek Jeter hit off a tee and took soft toss in Tampa on Saturday, but he did not run continued his rehab from his strained right calf.

Until Jeter begins full-out sprints, a timetable for his return to the pursuit of three thousand hits will not be known. The New York Yankees plan on being very cautious.

"I don't think there is an exact science," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We just have to make sure his legs are under him and that he can make those sharp cuts that he needs to make. He can get out of the box fine. When he does start that, we have to make sure he is ready, in a sense."

On Saturday, Jeter took 27 swings off a tee and 30 soft toss swings. Jeter also played catch. He is eligible to come off the disabled list on Wednesday. He is not expected to be ready in time. After he is cleared to run fully, the Yankees want him to play a game or two in the minors.

"If you try to come back too early, now you are talking a month," Girardi said. "We have to just make sure when it is time for him to go, it is time for him to go."

Jeter needs just six hits to become the first Yankee with 3,000 for his career. The chase has been on hold since he got hurt June 13.

On Sunday, Jeter turns 37, which means he will not be joining an exclusive group. Only three players (Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron and Robin Yount) have reached 3,000 hits before their 37th birthday. All-time hit king, Pete Rose, got to 3,000 twenty-one days after his 37th birthday.

When Jeter reaches 3,000, he will be the 28th player in history to make it to the mark. With the home series against the Milwaukee Brewers in the middle of next week appearing more and more out of the question, Jeter could get to 3,000 in New York.

The Yankees face the Mets next weekend at Citi Field. After three games in Cleveland, they finish with four at home against Tampa.

Meanwhile, right-hander Bartolo Colon, out with a strained right hamstring, felt good after his first bullpen session Friday. He's scheduled to pitch in a simulated game on Monday in Tampa.

Converted reliever Mark Prior, on the DL at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because of a strained groin, also was scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday.