Kaz Matsui's Surgery

[FromWayDowntown]

Nothing really to add -- just an unusual surgery for a professional athlete.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring...ory?id=3294343

Matsui to have surgery; Astros hope to keep second baseman off DL

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Houston Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui will undergo surgery to repair an anal fissure on Monday in Houston.

Matsui has struggled with the health problem for much of spring training and was diagnosed with the condition earlier this week. The expected recovery time after the surgery is two weeks.

Although the season opener on March 31 is just more than two weeks away, manager Cecil Cooper wants to try and avoid placing Matsui on the disabled list.

"We'll go down to the wire and see how he's progressing," Cooper said. "We want him on the roster and active so he can play."

Matsui was signed in December to take over at second base after Craig Biggio's retirement. He had 37s RBIs and four home runs with a .288 batting average last season for Colorado.

Geoff Blum and Mark Loretta have been filling in for Matsui while he's been injured.

Also on Friday, Houston lefty Wandy Rodriguez strained a left oblique muscle and is listed as day-to-day. He threw just two pitches before leaving Houston's game against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, which was called after one inning because of rain.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Check out the last two grafs of this same story on the Astros' Web site.

[timvp]

I heard the Giants are desperately trying to trade for him. An Asian with the city's most common injury?

Gold.

[T Park]

Comedy gold