(Updated: 5:35 p.m.)
BALTIMORE — After giving one last shot at a rehab assignment with Single-A Aberdeen Saturday night, Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts has elected to undergo season-ending surgery on his injured hip.
He played all nine innings for the Ironbirds on Saturday, going 0-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts, and a run scored in a 7-2 loss and was slated to play again for Aberdeen on Sunday before announcing his decision to undergo surgery less than an hour before the Orioles’ series finale against Oakland.
“It just hasn’t responded the way we were hoping it would,” said Roberts, who will undergo the same procedure that Ravens safety Ed Reed had two years ago.
Having not played since July 1, Roberts has a torn labrum in his hip and was still experiencing pain despite receiving a cortisone shot and working out in Sarasota. The first doctor he saw recommended having surgery right away, but a second opinion offered the option of trying to play after rest and rehabilitation before ultimately making a decision on a surgical procedure.
Roberts said the rehab process usually takes four to six months and he will undergo the surgery some time over the next week to 10 days.
“I look at it as more of a positive, too,” manager Buck Showalter said after the Orioles’ 6-1 win on Sunday. “Hats off to Brian for trying to come back and help this club.”
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The 34-year-old infielder missed over a year of action due to concussion-related symptoms before returning to the Baltimore lineup on June 12. In 74 plate appearances this season, Roberts hit .182 with no home runs and five runs batted in before he was placed on the disabled list on July 3.
“It’s been a long two years,” said Roberts, who revealed doctors have given him a 95 percent chance of making a full recovery and being back to his old self following surgery and rehab. “It certainly hasn’t gone the way I would’ve drawn it up.”
Roberts has one year remaining on his four-year contract and will make $10 million in 2013.
The silver lining for the infielder may be that his concussion-related symptoms have not resurfaced all season, which allows him to focus solely on getting his hip healthy for what he hopes will be a productive 2013 season.
“The concussion part of it seems to be something that’s not on his mind anymore,” Showalter said.
