News
Griffey's surgery could mean return
Slugger has bone spur removed from left knee
By Jim Street / MLB.com
10/26/09 11:36 PM ET
A bone spur was removed from Ken Griffey Jr.'s left knee on Monday afternoon in Cincinnati, which could be a precursor of the future Hall of Fame outfielder returning to the Mariners in 2010.The troublesome knee limited Griffey to 11 games in the outfield during the regular season.
Dr. Timothy Kremchek performed the arthroscopic surgery on Griffey, who turns 40 years old on Nov. 22, in an outpatient procedure. Normal recovery time for this type of surgery is four to six weeks.
Griffey returned to the Mariners in 2009 after being gone for the previous nine seasons. Though he batted a career-low .214, he hit 19 home runs, drove in 57 runs and led the team with 63 walks.
But his biggest impact was felt in the clubhouse, where he helped create a team chemistry that was 180 degrees different than the previous season.
"It should give Junior more mobility," said Griffey's agent Brian Goldberg in an e-mail.
Though a decision hasn't been made on whether he would return to the Mariners in 2010, he is expected to return and might make it official, one way or another, soon after the World Series ends.
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
