Nick Markakis put on an Atlanta Braves jersey for the first time Friday, the next step after agreeing to a four-year contract with the team. His next notable outfit, though, could be a hospital gown.
Depending on who you listen to, Markakis is either "expected" to have neck surgery soon or "considering" it. It's one of the reasons Markakis' previous team, the Baltimore Orioles, wasn't as aggressive about signing him as the Braves were. Writes MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli, who cover the Orioles:
Markakis is expected to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disc in his cervical spine, with a recovery time of 8-12 weeks that would keep him in line to start the season.
“Everything, I hear about it, it’s not going to be an issue,” Markakis said of his neck, which is what caused the Orioles to become wary of offering him a four-year deal. I don’t have anything now. It’s just a precautionary thing. We’ll get it taken care of and it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Obviously, if you're a Braves fan, that's not what you want to hear the day your team introduces its big free-agent signee. But it's better than Markakis not fixing it, then hurting himself in May and missing the rest of the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment