New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker has opted to have surgery to a repair a herniated disk in his lower back, ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin reports. The microdiscectomy procedure will require a three-month recovery.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Walker told reporters Thursday. “There were a lot of factors that were involved — the way the team was playing, the way I felt. I did everything I could. Twice I played a couple of days, tried to give myself a couple of days off, and the biggest issue with it was that it was hitting a nerve. I still can’t feel my toe. That’s caused just a chain reaction.”
The Mets are 1.5 games out of the second wild card spot in the NL.
Walker, 30, was hitting .282 with 23 home runs and 55 RBIs in his first season with New York after being acquired from Pittsburgh last December. He is a free agent after this season, though manager Terry Collins expressed interest in bringing him back.
“Neil has played absolutely great,” Collins said. “He had a little bit in the middle of the season where he struggled for a while. What he did early, he carried us in April and early May. Who would have expected all of the home runs? And then the way he’s played lately. … He had a great year for us. I sure hope that we get the opportunity to get him back.”
Collins said Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson will handle second base in Walker’s absence.
