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Orioles 2B Roberts To Have Season-Ending Surgery

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Brian Roberts' frustrating season is over.

The Baltimore Orioles second baseman will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip. Roberts made the announcement Sunday, less than 24 hours after he began a rehabilitation assignment with Class A Aberdeen.

"It just hasn't responded the way we were hoping it would," Roberts said, shortly before the Orioles faced Oakland. "Deep down in my gut, I think I knew before last night."

Roberts was placed on the disabled list July 3. The first doctor he spoke to recommended surgery, but a second physician suggested he attempt to rehabilitate the injury. Robert received a cortisone shot and worked out at the team facility in Florida before heading to Aberdeen.

After going 0 for 4 with a walk on Saturday night, he abandoned the plan.

"We kind of knew this was a possibility going in," Roberts said. "We wanted to give it the best possible shot we could to get back out there and try and help for the last two months of the season, but it's not going to put me in the a position to play the way that I think is going to be necessary to help."

Roberts, 34, missed the start of the season with a concussion. He returned on June 12 and got three hits against Pittsburgh, but was batting .182 in 17 games before going on the disabled list.

He expects to have the operation at the Steadman Clinic in Colorado over the next seven to 10 days. Following a rehabilitation period of four to six months, Roberts intends to work toward returning to the Orioles next year.

"The main goal right now is to get ready for 600 good at-bats in 2013," he said.

Roberts would have loved being a part of this team, one that has surprisingly been in contention for a playoff berth after going through 14 straight losing seasons. He was not, however, healthy enough to make it happen.

"To see the excitement in the dugout and not being able to be a part of that after so many years here, playing in atmospheres that weren't like that, that's really hard," Roberts said. ""I want to be a part of this, but I also want to do this is in a way that benefits the team and not be a detriment to the team. I'm not going to be selfish enough to go out there and do it just to go out there and be a part of it if I don't think I can do it."

The two-time All-Star and Baltimore's long-time leadoff hitter has played in only 115 games over the last three seasons. Last year, he sustained a season-ending concussion -- his second in years -- after 39 games.

"It's been a long two years," Roberts said. "It certainly hasn't gone the way that I would have drawn it up."

Roberts broke into the majors in 2001 with Baltimore. He started this season with a lifetime batting average of .281 with 84 homers, 477 RBIs and 274 stolen bases.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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