THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILWAUKEE — Brewers shortstop Alex Gonzalez has a torn ligament in his right knee and will have season-ending surgery, the third Milwaukee player to sustain a serious injury since opening day.
Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said Monday that Gonzalez had a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Gonzalez was injured Saturday, sliding into second base during a 5-2 loss at San Francisco.
Last week, Brewers first baseman Mat Gamel also tore the ACL in his right knee chasing a foul popup. Last month, left-hander Chris Narveson underwent surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff.
Centre fielder Carlos Gomez also went to the disabled list last week with a strained left hamstring.
Signed to a one-year deal before the season with the hopes of shoring up the Brewers’ defence, Gonzalez had performed well at shortstop and at the plate, where he was hitting .259 with four home runs and 15 RBIs.
For the time-being, veteran infielder Cesar Izturis will be the Brewers’ starting shortstop. The 32-year-old spent the last three seasons with Baltimore and has played for six teams during his 12-year career, hitting .255 with 15 home runs and 291 RBIs.
Izturis is hitting .208 with one RBI in 14 games this season, five of them starts.
"I like Izzy," Roenicke said. "I like what he’s been doing in the couple days that Alex has been out. He’s a veteran who’s played every day before."
A Gold Glove winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004, Izturis underwent elbow surgery last season, repairing his right ulnar nerve. He signed with the Brewers over the winter as a non-roster player with an invitation to major league camp.
"Now my job is to go out there and try to help the team win," Izturis said. "We’ll see what happens."
To provide Izturis with an occasional day off, the team summoned Edwin Maysonet from Triple-A Nashville, where he was hitting .214 in 25 games. Maysonet impressed Roenicke during spring training, where he hit .296 and played at several infield positions.
"He’s got a very good arm, good hands, very smooth fielder," Roenicke said. "In spring training both years I saw pretty good at-bats from him. So I’m OK with him."
