NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Delgado had hip surgery Tuesday, and the New York Mets expect their slugging first baseman to return in late July.
The team said he had arthroscopic surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery and will need a recovery period of about 10 weeks. Delgado was diagnosed with an impingement of the hip, a bone spur and torn labrum.
Yankees star Alex Rodriguez had surgery in March for a torn labrum — cartilage that lines the hip socket to stabilize and cushion the joint. He returned to the team two months later.
Delgado was put on the 15-day disabled list Saturday. The two-time All-Star first baseman is hitting .298 with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 26 games. His 473 home runs are two shy of Stan Musial and Willie Stargell for 28th place on the career list.
"I feel for Carlos because I know how badly he wants to be out there, but we can't worry about how much we'll miss him," third baseman David Wright said. "We've got to look forward and go with the guys we've got and take care of our business. We can't sit back and feel sorry for ourselves because we're missing one of our main guys. Everybody has to do a little bit more. The guys that are in there every day have to pick up the slack."
The 36-year-old Delgado enjoyed a resurgence last year, batting .271 with 38 homers and 115 RBIs.
"He's a big part of this ballclub and a big part of this lineup, so we're going to miss him," center fielder and No. 3 hitter Carlos Beltran said. "But we still have to go out and play baseball, do the best we can with what we've got and keep ourselves in good shape (in the standings) so that he can help us when he comes back."
Delgado had been ailing for more than a week before going on the DL, and had not played since May 10. Fernando Tatis and Jeremy Reed have started at first base in Delgado's absence.
"We made a real good run last year with people who were not in their natural positions," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "I mean, we played two third basemen in the outfield, and they responded very well."
