Martinez likely to miss 2012 season

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT -- Victor Martinez had knee surgery and will need a second operation, another indication he is likely to miss the entire 2012 season.

The Detroit Tigers star had microfracture surgery Friday to repair the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee.

"I don't want to say it was a surprise," team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "We knew it was a possibility."

Martinez is projected to have anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery on the same knee in six-to-eight weeks, the procedure that was previously expected.

The team announced Monday that he was expected to be out for the year.

When the Tigers revealed two weeks ago that Martinez tore his left ACL during off-season conditioning, they said the designated hitter would "most likely be lost," for the 2012 season.

The first of two operations was done last week by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo.

"We didn't know the full extent of the damage for sure until Dr. Steadman got in there," Dombrowski said. "He's the resident expert in the world on knees, and he feels it is more important to correct cartilage before the ACL to get the best results."

Detroit signed Prince Fielder last week to make up for the loss of Martinez, investing US$214 million over nine years in the free agent slugger.

Martinez hit .330 with 103 RBIs in 2011, helping the Tigers win the division in his first season with them. He signed a $50 million, four-year contract before last season.

Fielder matched his career-high .299 batting average last year -- his seventh with the Milwaukee Brewers -- with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs. He finished among the top five in AL MVP voting for the third time.

Detroit won the AL Central by 15 games last year, advanced past the New York Yankees in the playoffs and was eliminated by Texas in Game 6 of the AL championship series.