DETROIT — Victor Martinez had knee surgery and will need a second operation, another indication he is likely to miss the entire 2012 season. The Detroit Tigers star had microfracture surgery Friday in Vail to repair the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee.
“I don’t want to say it was a surprise,” team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said Monday. “We knew it was a possibility.”
Martinez is projected to have anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery on the same knee in six to eight weeks, the procedure that was previously expected.
“We didn’t know the full extent of the damage for sure until Dr. (Richard) Steadman got in there,” Dombrowski said. “He’s the resident expert in the world on knees, and he feels it is more important to correct cartilage before the ACL to get the best results.”
The Tigers signed Prince Fielder last week to make up for the loss of Martinez, investing $214 million over nine years in the free-agent slugger.
• Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson remains hospitalized in Florida with a shoulder injury following a freak fall from a stage.
Robinson fractured his scapula in the fall, which occurred Friday night during a player reception in Hollywood, Fla. before the annual Joe DiMaggio Legends Game. Robinson, 74, did not receive a head injury, his representative, Diane Hock, said.
“He’s resting comfortably,” Hock said.
Robinson was sitting at a table on a raised stage that had a curtain behind it. He leaned against the curtain, thinking there was a wall behind it. There was no wall, and the former Baltimore Orioles star subsequently tumbled backward off the stage and landed awkwardly on his back.
• Ron Washington, who has a 427-383 record over five seasons as manager of the Texas Rangers, received a two-year contract extension through the 2014 season.
• After receiving “strong feedback and consensus among season-ticket holders and many fans,” new Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said he won’t change the team’s name a week after saying he was considering a switch.
Wizards forward Blatche out three to five weeks
WASHINGTON — Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche will be out three to five weeks because of a strained left calf. Blatche was injured in Saturday’s victory at Charlotte. After an MRI exam, he was advised to stay off his feet.
• Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (ankle) and guard Raja Bell (thigh) are day to day because of injuries.
• Cleveland Cavaliers guards Anthony Parker (back) and Daniel Gibson (neck) are out indefinitely because of injuries.
Hurricanes sign defenseman Gleason to extension
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Tim Gleason to a four-year contract extension worth $16 million. The deal keeps Gleason under contract through the 2015-16 season. He could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The 29-year-old leads the team’s defensemen with 87 hits and a plus-minus rating of plus-2. He is making $3.5 million this season.
Footnotes
Joseph Curran, who coached the Canisius men’s basketball team to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in the 1950s, died of undisclosed causes Saturday in Mystic, Conn. He was 89.
• Iona basketball coach Tim Cluess signed a multiyear extension that will keep him with the Gaels through June 30, 2017.
• South Korea’s Ahn Jung-hwan, who became famous around the world for scoring the golden goal that eliminated Italy in the second round of the 2002 World Cup, retired from soccer.
• Women’s Professional Soccer won’t play the 2012 season amid a legal dispute with an ousted owner. The league’s board of governors voted to suspend the season with hopes of resuming in 2013.
