Report: Fielder considers surgery

— -- DETROIT -- Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder is contemplating season-ending surgery, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday.

Fielder, 30, did not make the trip back to Detroit to face his old team on Thursday because he was scheduled to meet with spine specialist Dr. Drew Dossett to look at the herniated disk in his neck. Fielder will likely undergo a battery of tests as part of that examination.

The Star-Telegram reported that the surgery would remove the disk from the part of the nerve that is being pinched, relieving Fielder's pain.

Fielder hasn't played since receiving a nerve-root injection Saturday morning. He was penciled into the lineup Tuesday but was scratched after he said he felt some weakness in his left arm while trying to hit in the batting cages.

He missed his fifth straight game Thursday. Fielder had played in 547 consecutive games prior to this absence.

Manager Ron Washington was asked before the game if Fielder was disappointed he couldn't face his former team.

"I think he's disappointed that he can't be here not only for this series but for his team," Washington said. "It's a situation where there wasn't anything he could do about it. If he could, he would be here."

The slugger hasn't been able to put up the power numbers he has for much of his career. He has three home runs and 16 RBIs this season but was hitting .350 in his last 12 games with half of his RBIs coming in that span.

General manager Jon Daniels described his concern level about Fielder as "medium" on Tuesday, before he went to see Dossett for more tests.

Daniels said Fielder told the club his neck was bothering him three or four weeks ago but that he felt he could play through it. But the pain and the fact that his arm felt weak prompted Fielder and the club to take action Saturday.

Mitch Moreland is playing first base in Fielder's absence, and Shin-Soo Choo has moved to the 3-hole with Adrian Beltre at cleanup and Alex Rios batting fifth.