Brian Roberts has been a fixture at second base in Baltimore since 2001, but surgery will keep him out of the lineup for at least another six weeks. (Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Brian Roberts was once considered among the top second baseman in all of baseball, but injuries have not only kept him off the field since the start of the 2010 season but have also tarnished what was once a promising legacy. The news continued to get worse for Roberts and the faithful Baltimore Orioles fans that want their player back, as he’ll need to undergo surgery on the strained hamstring that has kept him out of the lineup since April 5th. The procedure will add at least six weeks to his expected return date.
Roberts was unsatisfied with how his recovery had been progressing, according to ESPN.com, and sought out the second opinion of Dr. Daniel Cooper in Dallas. That is when the decision to undergo surgery was made.
Baltimore has seen their franchise cornerstone appear in just 118 games since the start of the 2010 season, including just three this year, due to a series of injuries. In 525 PA over that span (roughly one full season’s worth) he’s hit just .248/.311/.344 – a far cry from the .280/.351/.413 career line that we’d come to expect from the now 35 year old. Roberts will be a free agent at the end of the season and it remains to be seen what type of interest he’ll attract on the open market given his injury history. If he is able to return later this season, demonstrating that he’s finally healthy will be one significant challenge.