Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion underwent success surgery on his left wrist Thursday.
Encarnacion sat out four games last week as a result of soreness in his wrist, but returned to the tune of one hit in 12 at-bats against the Baltimore Orioles. The slugger ranks third in the majors with 36 home runs, hitting .272 with 104 RBI.
Manager John Gibbons said there was not structural damage to Encarnacion's wrist. The surgery cleaned up the scar tissue and damaged cartilage in his wrist, a procedure that will recover two months of rehab.
"It's not a good feeling to have surgery, but I'm happy to get it done, because it has been bothering me a lot every swing I make," Encarnacion said. "I just want to get it done. "The last couple of weeks were worse. Every swing I make I've been feeling it, so I can't swing it like that anymore."
Encarnacion wanted to become the third player in franchise history, along with Jose Bautista and Carlos Delgado, to hit 40 home runs in two consecutive seasons.
"That was my goal, I tried to finish the year playing with the team and I tried to make it to 40 home runs," Encarnacion said. "I wanted to try to make it two years in a row, but the way I was feeling, I couldn't make it. But I feel good with my season and I hope next year we come back playing better, and for this time in the year, next year, to be playing for the playoffs."