Orioles announce Manny Machado will have reconstructive surgery on knee. 4-6 month rehab time.

[VeveJones007]

This is good news. The injury was a reoccurrence. Who knows if it would happen over and over. Hopefully doc can tighten it up once and for all.

Yep. I'm no doctor, but that was my concern without surgery.

[Dr. Unk]

In the long run, I think this is the best option. It happened before...the next time could be worse. Get it taken care of now.

[EagleOriole]

I can't think of many professional athletes who choose major surgery over just resting and rehabbing if they had that option. They try to avoid surgery at all costs, no one chooses to go under the knife if they don't have to.

When you checked the MRI did you confirm that rest was the proper course? I had knee surgery and I can tell you that when all was said and done my knee was more sound than if I chose rest and rehab, which was also an option, though not recommended.

[lovetoaster]

Yep. I'm no doctor, but that was my concern without surgery.

Same here. It obviously sucks that this happened, but I am actually happy he is having surgery. I would have to think that will lower the risk of recurrence.

[brooks1083]

Manny is going to be a free agent at 26.

Bite your tongue.......my hope is that he never sees FA. At least if his knee doesn't become a chronic problem.

[Sanfran327]

I hate to say "I saw this coming," but it does seem as if the O's tend to under diagnose injuries quite often. Ask Bundy and Britton. Reimold and Roberts. Betemit. How long do you want the list to go? And those are just recent injuries.

I'm glad he decided to do this rather than come back less than 100% and have him re-injure the knee and miss time in May, June, and July.

[mdbdotcom]

Will this make it more or less likely that they sign Roberts?

[WEAVERMAN]

Manny is going to be a free agent at 26. For the good of his long term future, it's best for him to put this behind him as soon as possible.

He will sign a long term contract well before he hits Free Agency.

[sportsfan8703]

Will this make it more or less likely that they sign Roberts?

I'm hoping Machado will be better than ever. But I'd think that Roberts re signing is now about 99%. At worst to start the season we will have Flaherty at 3B and Roberts at 2b. Plus Buck will now have a reason to rest Manny and he wont have to play 162 next year.

[SerenityNow]

Worse case scenario, he's ready to return in mid-April.

Let's be honest, that's not even remotely close to the worst case scenario. But I do like your optimism.

[sevastras]

I can't think of many professional athletes who choose major surgery over just resting and rehabbing if they had that option. They try to avoid surgery at all costs, no one chooses to go under the knife if they don't have to.

If I had an injury that could be rehabbed and have a weakened joint or if I could choose to have a surgery that would give me a great chance of having a strong joint once again, I am choosing surgery over the winter every time. I sprained my thumb catching a line drive. I played through it and resprained it often. I talked to my doctor after the season and he said rest or surgery. Rest "may" bring it back to full strength or you could have surgery and work it out were it is almost as good as new but it will take some work to strengthen it back up after. I chose resting and strengthening. This was 10 years ago, and now at 32 I have an arthritic thumb. Boy that pain and weakness I feel every day in it, I wish I would have had surgery. Now I can deal with it like an old person or have the joint fused with no guarantee that it ends the pain. And I was never close to being a professional athlete and dont have to use my joints each day to the extent as they do.

I am happy with the decision and am excited for this bad ending of the season to be over. He is young and can heal quicker than most even 5 years older than he is. Manny isnt a pitcher getting his rotator cuff worked on. If there was ever a time that this would happen to him, now would be one of the best times(although it is unfortunate for it to happen at all).

[BradyBunch]

If I had an injury that could be rehabbed and have a weakened joint or if I could choose to have a surgery that would give me a great chance of having a strong joint once again, I am choosing surgery over the winter every time. I sprained my thumb catching a line drive. I played through it and resprained it often. I talked to my doctor after the season and he said rest or surgery. Rest "may" bring it back to full strength or you could have surgery and work it out were it is almost as good as new but it will take some work to strengthen it back up after. I chose resting and strengthening. This was 10 years ago, and now at 32 I have an arthritic thumb. Boy that pain and weakness I feel every day in it, I wish I would have had surgery. Now I can deal with it like an old person or have the joint fused with no guarantee that it ends the pain. And I was never close to being a professional athlete and dont have to use my joints each day to the extent as they do.

I am happy with the decision and am excited for this bad ending of the season to be over. He is young and can heal quicker than most even 5 years older than he is. Manny isnt a pitcher getting his rotator cuff worked on. If there was ever a time that this would happen to him, now would be one of the best times(although it is unfortunate for it to happen at all).

Surgery could have cause the arthritic problem as well. "Fixing" a problem is temporary in sports. Scoping a knee is ignoring the underlying problem. Fixing a joint that's heavily used such as a thumb, knee, wrist, elbow and so on doesn't mean the injury won't happen again or won't hurt in the future.

Manny can have this surgery because it fixes a long term problem if he adds muscle around his knee. Which is something he should have been doing the first time he injured it.

[Tx Oriole]

Sounds like the best option. If he ends up missing the first month (which sounds unlikely at this point), it'll be worth if it in long run.

I think so too.

[GoldGlove21]

Yeah because it is true. Are you actually claiming that they choose to have surgery when it is not needed? LOL.

Ok, so this really has to be on a case by case basis. Manny got injured and he can go under the knife and still return for opening day. This is not the same as an old player rolling the dice on rest and rehab being the better solution nor is it the same situation as a guy getting hurt near the start of the season and wanting to give it a go. Manny hasn't got his big pay day yet and missing an entire year if he injures the knee again (higher odds of that happening if he doesn't get the surgery) wouldn't be favorable for the young man. Manny could not require surgery and surgery could be the best option for the long term health of his career.

[Tx Oriole]

Yeah because it is true. Are you actually claiming that they choose to have surgery when it is not needed? LOL.

Anyone would not want surgery but if it would help in the long run especially an

athlete then you have it done.