NewsHerniated disk a big issue for Chavez
Spinal fusion surgery likely next time his back goes out
By Tom Singer / MLB.com
05/19/09 10:46 AM ET
Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez's recurring back problems have the potential to put his career in jeopardy, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. Chavez, rehabbing near his Phoenix home from his latest injury, has been told by doctors that the next time the herniated disk in his back goes out, he will need spinal fusion, effectively ending his playing days. "Pretty much game, set and match," Chavez told the Chronicle, which reported the prognosis that has knocked the A's for a loop. "This last [diagnosis] is a little bit of a punch in the gut for everyone," said A's general manager Billy Beane. Chavez's most recent injury is a strained right forearm, which landed him on the disabled list on May 1. In the interim, however, Chavez learned about the herniated disk after it went out when he rose from a chair. He is intent on strengthening and stabilizing it through conditioning, but realizes he will rejoin the A's with a slim margin of error. He does not expect any physical limitations from his back, which could go out picking up a bag of groceries as easily as diving for a ball. Chavez has missed 303 games with a variety of injuries since signing a six-year, $66 million contract in March 2004 that is in its last season. "The whole length of the contract, it's been one thing after another," he said. "It's been a disaster. Now, with the back thing, it's like, 'You've got to be kidding me.'"Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
