(Reuters) - Injury-plagued Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista will have season-ending surgery on his left wrist, the Major League Baseball (MLB) team said on Tuesday.
The two-time defending MLB home run leader aggravated the injury on Saturday in Baltimore just two days after returning from a month-long absence due to inflammation in his wrist.
The 31-year-old Dominican Republic native was examined in Cleveland by hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham on Monday and will have surgery sometime next week.
"We followed the course of action that was recommended at each time during the recovery after the original injury," the three-time All-Star, said in a report on the team's website.
"The only way I could have played again this year without having surgery was to do what we did. I tried, there's just too much instability in that tendon."
Bautista, who is expected to be ready for spring training, ends his 2012 campaign with a .241 batting average, 27 home runs and 65 RBI in 92 games.
The Blue Jays have struggled this season and sit bottom in the American League East standings, well out of contention in the playoff race.
© Thomson Reuters. All Rights Reserved
