Nick Markakis should be ready to go by the start of the season. (William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)
Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis will have neck surgery and also have a bulging disk removed on Wednesday.
The Baltimore Sun reported that Markakis will undergo preventive surgery in Atlanta. The bulging disk will be removed and his neck will be fused by surgeons chosen by the Braves.
“I have no doubt,” Markakis said about being ready for the opener.
“They are going to take the disk out and then fuse me up. It’s just a single-level fusion, and it has a six-to-eight-week recovery,” Markakis told the newspaper. “They said within four weeks I should be able to start my workout regimen, not full-go, but I’ll be able to start doing stuff again. And when I hit that six-to-eight-week level, I’ll be able to start doing baseball stuff. That will bring me toward February and get me ready for the baseball season.”
Markakis agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal with the Braves in early December.
The 31-year-old former Baltimore Orioles outfielder hit .276 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs last year. He has spent his entire nine-year MLB career with the Orioles, producing a .290 average, 141 home runs and 658 RBIs.
