Corey Hart has knee surgery; four months recovery time

Last we heard on Brewers first baseman Corey Hart and his injured knee was that he was putting off having surgery and instead seeking a second opinion in hopes that he could rehab and play through the injury. Apparently the second opinion was similar to the first, though, because Hart had knee surgery Friday morning, the Brewers announced.

By Matt Snyder

Jan 25, 2013 at 1:10 pm ET • 1 min read

Corey Hart had surgery after all and is expected to need four months to recover. (US Presswire)

According to the Brewers, Dr. William Raasch debrided the right knee joint surface and repaired a small meniscal tear. The expected recovery time is four months. The original report was that Hart had a torn meniscus in his right knee and would need three to four months to recover from the procedure. So it's pretty much exactly the same.

Four months from Friday is May 25th. Also keep in mind Hart would need to work himself back into playing shape and go through a minor-league rehab stint, so he's bound to miss at least a third of the season.

Hart, a 30-year-old two-time All-Star, hit .270/.334/.507 with 30 homers, 83 RBI, 91 runs and 35 doubles last season. In Hart's absence, expect Mat Gamel to get the majority of the time at first base.

Coincidentally, Gamel was the first baseman with Hart playing outfield until a knee injury ended Gamel's 2012 season. He was hitting .246/.293/.348 with a homer and six RBI in 21 games before his injury.

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