It appears that Adrian has reached his pain threshold...The bone spurs in his left shoulder have become so painful that Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre has decided to have surgery.
The two-time Gold Glove winner tried to play through the pain, but decided at some point between the first two games of the Mariners' Interleague series against the Dodgers that the team would be better if he had surgery sooner rather than later. :::
Beltre disclosed after Saturday night's game against the Dodgers that he would have surgery on Tuesday in Los Angeles and it will be performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum. He also said that he might play in Sunday's series finale, although that remains up in the air.
"I don't think I can help the team like I wanted to, every day on the field," Beltre said of his decision to have the surgery sooner rather than later. "It got to the point it's really painful. My contribution won't be enough to help the team win. Hopefully I can get it fixed and come back 100 percent."
Beltre is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
"He feels very bad about it," general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "He likes what's going on here and wants to be part of this thing."
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Beltre described the pain as "like being stabbed" and the only reason he hadn't shut it down sooner was because of the way the Mariners have been playing.
"If we were out of it, I probably wouldn't be thinking about [playing]," he said. "We're playing good, and I want to be part of something that might be special. We might get to the playoffs. Who knows?"
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But his determination has been off the chart.
"He's a tough guy," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "By reputation, I knew coming in here that it was awfully hard to get him out of the lineup, no matter what. I know he has played off and on with his shoulder and it has gotten worse."
:::"It creates a dilemma, no question about it," Zduriencik said of the latest setback. "We have lost some vital part of our club, but it opens opportunities for other players. Guys have stepped up."
The short-term solution could be either Jose Lopez or Chris Woodward playing third base and someone, perhaps Mike Morse, being promoted from Triple-A Tacoma.
Minor League third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo, the perceived heir-apparent to Beltre, underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow and currently is on a rehab assignment in Arizona. He has played in only eight games this season.
Others weigh in on Adrian's circumstance...Greg Johns | PI General manager Jack Zduriencik told reporters in L.A. that he didn't have a firm plan in place yet, but speculated on Jose Lopez moving to third or using Chris Woodward there.
The M's also could consider moving Russell Branyan to third, where he played earlier in his career, which would allow rookie Mike Carp to get playing time at first. That move has some merit, though Branyan would be a defensive liability.
But why not bring Mike Morse up from Tacoma and let him play third? Though Morse has been playing shortstop recently for the Rainiers this year, he seems like a natural third baseman with his size and range.
Morse is hitting .307 in Tacoma with nine home runs and 50 RBIs in 65 games. I'd put him ahead of Cedeno by a long shot at this point and certainly capable of hitting with more power than Woodward.
Matt Tuiasosopo seemed the best bet at season's start when he opened the year with the Mariners before being sent to Tacoma, but he underwent elbow surgery in mid-May and is still recovering as well.
Shannon Drayer | My Northwest...Adrian Beltre has said enough. I thought when we spoke to him yesterday that he would opt for the surgery sooner rather than later. When I saw him favoring the shoulder running late in the game, I knew knew this would be the outcome.
Adrian will play his last game tonight then have the surgery to remove bone spurs from his shoulder. He had hoped to be able to play through the pain but it has become impossible for him. Jack Z was told literally minutes ago so we do not have specifics on when the surgery will take place but we do know that the expected recovery time is 6-8 weeks.
It was strange getting the news. Kind of deja vu as it was in the dugout in Anaheim late last season that we got the news that he could not deal with the thumb, and shoulder we would later learn, anymore and that he would play his last game the next day in Anaheim. Tough news for a guy who wants to be out there, very tough news for a guy for who thought the bone spurs have been taken care of.
What now for the M's? Jack Z brought up the possibility of Jose Lopez playing third and sure enough, minutes after he told us, Lopez was over at 3rd taking ground balls. The news is so new his teammates didn't even know. Someone told Mike Sweeney during bp and he headed to the dugout to have some words with Adrian and give him a hug.
Chris Woodward's groin pull has healed enough for him to play. I have to think Mike Morse could get a look as he has played all over the infield in Tacoma. Beyond that, nothing is ready in the system. The M's either have to get very creative with what they have, Branyan at third, Carp at first? Most likely, Jack is going to have to go get some help.
Larry Larue | News Tribune..."We've been bracing for this for awhile," general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "It creates a dilemma, but it creates an opportunity, too."
Asked if itt were one play that pushed the decision on him, Beltre shook his head.
"It's everything I do, the way it feels every day," he said.
Beltre said trying to play through the pain hasn't been working.
"It would be different if I was helping the team, but I'm not," Beltre said.
Medical tests show a large spur in Beltre's lefrt - non-throwing shoulder - and nothing short of surgery will repair it.
What will the Mariners do without him? Russell Branyan has played third base in the past, and moving him would let the team slide Mike Carp into the lineup at first base. That said, it's unlikely that will happen.
Branyan is playing well enough at first to handle his own - moving him to third, where he's less effective, wouldn't help Seattle's infield defense.
More likely, Jose Lopez will move from second base to third, and Ronny Cedeno and Chris Woodward can play second base.
