SEATTLE — Oft-injured left-hander Erik Bedard’s season — and perhaps his tenure in Seattle — is over.
Adrian Beltre’s might resume sooner than expected.
Arthroscopic surgery on Bedard’s pitching shoulder Friday repaired a torn labrum and cleaned up other fraying in the joint, according to manager Don Wakamatsu. Dr. Lewis Yocum, who performed the surgery in Los Angeles, estimates Bedard will be able to throw again in four to six months.
Beltre severely bruised his right testicle when he was hit by a ground ball on Wednesday. The two-time Gold Glove third baseman, who does not wear a protective cup while playing but may now, has been told he does not need surgery. Doctors have told him to rest completely for at least five days before he may slowly resume baseball activities.
“That’s awfully good news,” Wakamatsu said.
The first day Beltre is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list is Aug. 28.
For months, Bedard and the Mariners did not know the cause of his shoulder pain. Multiple MRIs recently did not detect the torn labrum. He’s been on the active roster for just 20 days since June 17.
“The good thing is, we knew he was injured, we found the problem and fixed it,” Wakamatsu said. “We got some finality to it. Now, we have a plan of attack.”
Yet it’s a muddled one.
The 30-year-old’s contract ends this fall. The Mariners are faced with a decision whether to offer Bedard salary arbitration, which could result in a contract for 2010 near the $7.75 million he got this season, or let him leave as a free agent.
Letting him leave after two seasons in which the former ace of the Baltimore Orioles was largely a bust may result in Seattle getting compensated with draft picks. Or it may not. Bedard may not qualify statistically as a top-tier free agent because he’s been hurt so often.
He got a $750,000 raise from Seattle for 2009 after going 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts last season. He had surgery to remove the cyst and non-healthy tissue in his shoulder last September.
The Mariners have paid Bedard $17.5 million for two seasons in which he won 11 games in 30 starts. He has rarely lasted deep since he was acquired from Baltimore in February 2008 for five top prospects. Two of them — closer George Sherrill and outfielder Adam Jones — became All-Stars.
Wakamatsu would like to see Bedard pitch for him again in 2010.
“He’s an awfully good pitcher,” Wakamatsu said. “I think he’s pretty happy here. Hopefully, we can work something out.”
Seattle shortstop Jack Wilson will remain out of the lineup until at least Tuesday because of a pulled hamstring. Josh Wilson, who was selected Thursday from Triple-A Tacoma, started again at shortstop on Friday against the Yankees.
Jack Wilson pulled the upper part of his left hamstring during Wednesday night’s win over the White Sox. He is doing rehabilitation therapy in a swimming pool.
Wilson, acquired two weeks ago in a trade with Pittsburgh, missed four games last month with the Pirates because the same hamstring was sore. Wakamatsu noted the defensive whiz didn’t get an MRI then, so he and the Mariners did not know how injured he was.
“It’s feeling better. It’s something I’ve just been playing through and just tweaked it and took a wrong step the other night,” Wilson said.
“It’s a different type of hamstring pull, it’s real high. It was something I felt I could play on and get through. It was weird.”
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