To address issues with his sore left wrist, Twins first baseman Justin Morneau will undergo neck surgery on Wednesday to remove a herniated disk fragment. The surgery is expected to keep him out until August.
Morneau was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 10 in order to rest his left wrist and sore neck. A closer diagnosis revealed a herniated disk as the source of the slugger's discomfort.
"Last week of spring training is the last time I could feel the pointer finger next to my thumb," Morneau said during a conference call Friday night. "I'd like that to go away. That's the plan for the surgery. Hopefully, that'll be the result, and I'll come out good and be ready for August and September."
Morneau is hitting .225 with four home runs and 21 RBIs in 55 games this season, well below his career average of .282-30-113 during a 162-game pace. The 2006 AL MVP missed the final 78 games of the 2010 season with a concussion.
Morneau said he was reluctant to do the surgery, but felt it was in the best long-term interest for his career to do the procedure.
"I think the thing that kind of made the decision was hearing that it could be permanent, the weakness in the arm and numbness in the fingers," Morneau said. "As frustrating as it is for fans to sit there and go, 'You know, I'd like to see this guy play,' it's a million times more frustrating for me."
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said not having Morneau in the lineup for another six weeks will be difficult to overcome.
"I was honestly kind of looking forward to him getting out of this cast and seeing where he was at, kind of hoping we'd have him back here in four or five days or whatever," he said. "I know Morny didn't want any part of this, really, he's been fighting this stuff with the surgery and trying to stay away from anything like that so he can finish out the season. I know it's frustrating for him, so I feel bad for him more than anything else."
Minnesota is currently 32-42, eight games back of AL Central leader Cleveland.
