Chipper Jones undergoes knee surgery in attempt to get ready before home opener - MLB Update
Just hours after Chipper Jones met with another knee injury on Thursday, his announcement of an immediate retirement after 2012 season became known. While injury had nothing to do with the announcement as he had made up his mind before, how fast he experiences
a recovery and when he actually will appear in the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season are questions people desperately want answers to.
Wanting to make his last season a memorable one, it remains to be seen what timeline Dr. Marvin Royster will give him after he examines him thoroughly.
When inquired about his health, Jones expressed optimism and thus gave indication of his penchant for playing the season.
“So far, so good,” Jones wrote a message to Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “A little groggy.”
Jones is arguably one of the best switch-hitters in Baseball history and has spent his entire career with the Atlanta Braves. World Championship victory in 1995 and then another splendid performance in 1999 by the Braves saw the bulk of contribution coming
from Jones.
In his time with the Braves, Jones enlivened rivalry between Atlanta and New York Mets. The way he used to make the Mets’ fans tremble with his presence in the stadium and hit all across park are some of the moments he will cherish even after retirement.
Braves are already struggling in Spring Training and it will be unfortunate for them in case he does not get ready in time.
Atlanta are hoping his absence will turn out to be the only weak-link they suffered in Spring Training and once he is there, their performance will be as good as they envisaged immediately after putting up one of their worst performances last season.
Jones is currently one of the most expensive players on the Braves' roster, fetching around $14 million. Before his announcement of retirement, many writers raised questions about him being a huge financial burden on the club and how the team can spend the
same money on acquiring new players.
Even if Jones goes by his surgery through a lesser invasive procedure, whether he will play for whole season remains to be seen.
Braves will prefer to give him rest and though Jones is willing to play as soon as possible, management will most probably want to see him making an entry in the last half of the regular season.
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