Alex Rodriguez heads back to work days after announcing his split with Jennifer Lopez

Five days after he officially announced his split from singer Jennifer Lopez, baseball player Alex Rodriguez was spotted returning back to work. 

The former `Yankees` star was photographed for the first time since the couple`s split was announced on April 15.In the photos clicked on Sunday, Rodriguez can be seen stepping off of a private plane in Hartford, Connecticut where he appeared to be heading to work at ESPN`s nearby studio. As fans of the athlete may know, he is part of the company`s broadcast team for their `Sunday Night Baseball` program.

Before this, Rodriguez was last photographed in March while in the Dominican Republic with Lopez.

Last week, the duo shared a statement with E!News, in which they said, "We have realised we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so. We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects."

Following the split announcement, which came amid months of speculation about the pair`s relationship, a source told E! News that the 51-year-old actor was feeling "at peace" with the decision to call it quits.

A second insider also noted that Rodriguez likely knew the split was coming considering `On the floor` singer "has not been happy for a while now."

"Once her trust is broken, there`s no turning around. She feels good about her decision because she knows A.Rod will still be in her life, just in a different capacity," the source told E! News.

Despite the breakup, it sounds as though Rodriguez is holding out for a possible reconciliation. A third source close to Lopez told E! News, "He is respecting her wishes right now, but has high hopes they will get back together. He`s doing anything in his power to make J.Lo happy."