Chipper Jones has tried to battle through a slightly torn meniscus in his right knee for weeks now, but despite multiple cortisone injections and constant treatment from the training staff, he will have to undergo surgery to repair his knee.
Chipper had this to say to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
"I just didn't want to play through it all summer and have something go wrong in September and have to miss the playoffs," Jones said Saturday in a text message. "It's killing me to hit right-handed, so we decided to play (Friday) night, then get it done today."
I'm doing what I can," said Jones, who hasn't felt any improvement after receiving a cortisone shot in his knee on Sunday. "It's not getting any better. It's gradually getting worse. I'm going to have to address it some time."
The move to have the surgery now is for the best. He'll miss just two games before having four more days off at the All-Star Break to get him ahead of schedule for returning in the second half. The Braves need Chipper to be healthy, regardless if that's tomorrow, in two weeks, or a month.