Orioles' Roberts to have surgery
After seeing Dr. Daniel Cooper in Dallas on Wednesday for a second opinion on his injured right hamstring, Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts decided to have surgery Thursday in Dallas and will be out six weeks for recovery.
Roberts injured the hamstring April 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays when he slid into second base.
Roberts has been out since the third game of the regular season when he injured the tendon, located behind his right knee, while sliding into second base. He's seen little progress while on the disabled list.
The former leadoff man entered spring training hopeful to shake the stigma of being an injury-plagued veteran. But on a stolen base attempt against the Rays at Tropicana Field, Roberts slid head-first and came up clutching his hamstring area.
The club has yet to put him on the 60-day disabled list, which would open up another slot on the 40-man roster, but manager Buck Showalter indicated Tuesday that the front office has discussed the move.
With Roberts out, the Orioles have employed a platoon of Ryan Flaherty and Alexi Casilla at second base. Flaherty, who has some pop, has struggled with a low average, but has shown improvement on defense.
Roberts is in the final year of a four-year, $40 million contract.
