Brewers first baseman Mat Gamel is headed back to Milwaukee to have some tests on his knee by the team physician, the Brewers announced Wednesday. Later in the day, he told his teammates he's headed for surgery.

"Hopefully, the surgery goes well," said Travis Ishikawa (Brewers Blog). "I've been praying for him since it happened that it would be as good a news as possible. Obviously, it wasn't. I'll continue to pray for him that his recovery is 100% and speedy. I don't know if it's the whole season or what not. (A long-term absence) is the way he made it sound."

Still later, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin confirmed to the present media members (including Tom Haudricourt) that Gamel has a torn ACL.

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Gamel had to leave Tuesday night's game against the Padres after running into the wall when chasing a foul ball (pictured above). He tried to stay in the game at first, but then pulled himself out after trying to take a swing in the on-deck circle. Gamel's injury was said to initially be a twisted right knee, but the news Wednesday obviously painted a much more ominous picture.

A surgical procedure to repair Gamel's ACL almost certainly wipes out the rest of his 2012 season, but he should be good to go by the start of next season.

Gamel, 26, has had the unenviable task of trying to take over first base from Prince Fielder in Milwaukee this season. He's hitting .246/.293/.348 with one homer and six RBI. Travis Ishikawa would be the initial in-house replacement for Gamel. Outfielder Corey Hart could also get some looks at first base, with Norichika Aoki or Carlos Gomez able to slide into the outfield.

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