Prince Fielder is scheduled to have surgery next week to repair a herniated disk in his neck, a procedure that will end his 2014 season, the team announced Thursday.
Texas general manager Jon Daniels said Fielder is getting a second opinion, but that's expected to confirm the diagnosis.
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This had already been a disappointing season for Fielder, his first year with Texas after the Rangers traded for him this offseason. His career home run/at-bat ratio entering the season was 16.6, but he has just three homers in 150 at-bats in 2014.
Even with those struggles, though, the loss of Fielder for the season will be yet another a big blow to a Rangers team that was expected to contend for the AL West crown. They’ve already lost youngster Martin Perez, who was coming into his own as one of the best left-handed starters in the AL, to Tommy John surgery, and they have had to deal with a constant barrage of other assorted ailments. Fielder will be the 17th DL move of the season for the Rangers, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.
Fielder didn’t make the trip to Detroit for a series against his former team, the Star-Telegram reported. Instead, he was in Dallas at the Carrell Clinic getting checked out by Dr. Drew Dossett, a spine specialist.
