San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado underwent surgery to repair a right extensor tendon Tuesday, the team announced.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, the Padres said, and the expected recovery time is anywhere between four and six months, so he should be a full participant in spring training next year.
As the season wore down to its conclusion, Machado, 31, was relegated to designated hitter in San Diego’s lineup so that there wasn’t added strain on the injury from playing in the field. On Sept. 19, he told reporters that surgery was the likely path.
“We were trying to avoid it as much as we can,” Machado said of the surgery at the time. “But unfortunately, [the injury] has just put us in that situation, and you know what, it’s probably going to make me better, going to make us all better. Just get it done, get ready for next year, come back and be healthy.”
The Padres, who were eliminated on Sept. 29, received decent production from Machado in the DH slot in September. He finished with five home runs in 86 plate appearances that month.
San Diego finished the season at 82-80, 18 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. As the team packed up on cleanout day Monday, Padres chairman Peter Seidler released a statement posted on the club’s website.
“We entered 2023 with expectations that we would build on last year’s NLCS appearance and contend for a World Series Championship. We fell short of that goal. The Padres organization will learn from this season and emerge in 2024 with the pieces in place to compete for San Diego’s first World Series title,” Seidler wrote.
“Our current leadership team continues to have my full support, and I have asked them to perform a thorough assessment of our organization, beginning today. We will make the changes necessary to play championship-caliber baseball for our extraordinary fans in 2024.”
