Padres News: Tim Federowicz to have Arthroscopic Surgery for Lateral Meniscus Tear

San Diego Padres catcher Tim Federowicz has a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, according to a tweet from Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune.

Federowicz will likely undergo arthroscopic surgery to determine the extent of the injury. Lin quotes Padres manager Bud Black about Federowicz and his condition:

Corey Brock of MLB.com adds that Federowicz suffered the tear during Sunday’s game and had an MRI that revealed the tear. Brock added more information from Black, who said that the possibility of Federowicz having the surgery is “strong”:

"We’ll huddle with the doctors and [general manager A.J. Preller] tomorrow and see what the next course of action is,” said Black."

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My friend Paul Cholewa, who is a physical therapist, tells me that there are two kinds of arthroscopic surgery. In one, a meniscectomy, they shave off a bit of the cartilage and the rehab is relatively easy, taking about a month. The more serious type, a repair, can take three to four months to recover from; and because Federowicz is a catcher, he is going to be putting a lot of extra stress on that knee when he returns.

Federowicz is one of two new catchers on the Padres roster, joining Derek Norris as the other new backstop for San Diego. Federowicz was likely to be the primary backup for the Padres this season. The team was looking to the 5’10”, 215-pound right-hander to be an offensive contributor after he put up a .555 slugging percentage in the minors last year.

According to Brock, if Federowicz misses a lot of time, then Wil Nieves is expected to fill the backup catcher role.

Nieves is an 11-year veteran backup catcher. He spent last year with the Phillies, slashing .254/.270/.344 in 36 games. He is a career .243 hitter with limited power.

Here’s wishing Tim a speedy recovery.

Friars on Base will have more as this story evolves.

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