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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, June 2, 2010

MLB: Giants' $12M free-agent DeRosa appears destined to season-ending surgery


By Andrew Baggarly
San Jose Mercury News

SAN FRANCISCO — Left fielder Mark DeRosa was 0-for-4 with a strikeout and two double-play ground balls in his first rehab game for Single-A San Jose on Monday.

But box scores don't tell the whole story, right?

"In this case, it did," said DeRosa, with a wry smile. "My mind sees it. I'm right on it mentally. "& But I can't tell you how many balls I hit over the first base dugout."

Clearly, DeRosa will not be activated Friday when the Giants begin a road trip in Pittsburgh. And although he pledges to give it the ol' college try at Triple-A Fresno, he left every impression of a player resigned to season-ending surgery.

He continues to feel weakness in his left wrist, which has a torn tendon sheath after a procedure in October failed to hold.

"I'll go to Fresno for (the weekend) and see if I can iron out some type of "... I don't know "... a way to get by," said DeRosa, who has tried lighter bats and other tweaks that failed to help. "I'm trying to stay upbeat and positive, but the sample size is what it is. I don't kid myself that something miraculous is going to happen here."

DeRosa found a unique comparison for the sensation in his wrist.

"Ever driven a golf cart going downhill when the governor kicks in?" he said. "You slow down. That's what it feels like. I've got the governor on my wrist kicking in."

Wrist surgery requires a three-month recovery, but DeRosa said his timeframe would be longer because he's already had one procedure. Even if he had surgery today, he didn't think he could return for September or potential playoff games.

DeRosa, who signed a two-year, $12 million contract last winter, also would like to have a normal offseason in which he can do his usual lifting and hitting. But club officials want him to try, so that's what he'll do. "We're in a bad spot here," DeRosa said. "Everybody involved is in a bad spot."

—Left-hander Jeremy Affeldt was unavailable because of a strained hamstring, and the disabled list could enter the conversation if he remains sidelined another day, manager Bruce Bochy said.