Prince Fielder to have neck surgery
— -- DETROIT -- Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder will have season-ending fusion surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck Tuesday.
Fielder's symptoms got worse earlier this week and he saw spine specialist Dr. Drew Dossett on Thursday morning. It was recommended that he have surgery to take care of the problem, which requires a three- to four-month recovery period that would end his season.
Fielder, 30, was acquired in a blockbuster trade in November with the Detroit Tigers for All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler. The Tigers also agreed to pay $30 million of Fielder's salary.
Fielder received a nerve-root injection on Saturday morning and took a few days off. He passed a strength test on Monday night and was penciled into the lineup on Tuesday. But he was scratched after he said he felt some weakness in his left arm while trying to hit in the batting cages.
"I wasn't surprised, just because after talking to him and seeing him, you know this was something that was bothering him," Rangers GM Jon Daniels said. "We were hoping the injection could get him through the season. His initial response was positive. But the symptoms came back."
Fielder does not have a history of injuries in his career and had played 547 consecutive games before getting the injection on Saturday.
Daniels also announced that infielder Jurickson Profar re-strained the muscle in his shoulder, a Grade 2 strain. He has been shutdown and is out eight to 12 weeks.
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