OAKLAND -- Athletics infielder/outfielder Mark Canha will undergo surgery to repair a left hip impingement and will miss the remainder of the season.
Canha hasn't played since May 8 because of pain in his hip and lower back. He had mulled the idea of getting a cortisone shot to see if that helped but decided upon surgery after getting a second opinion from Dr. Marc Philippon in Colorado.
"It was bothering me," Canha said Tuesday. "And the fact it didn't get better with rest and rehabbing in the offseason led me to think that a cortisone injection wouldn't have been the best choice. I was leaning towards surgery before it and this just confirmed it. The second opinion I got yesterday confirmed that surgery would be the next option."
The surgery, which will include shaving down part of Canha's femur bone, will take place next week in Vail, Colo. Canha will require a minimum of six months of recovery and rehabilitation, which should leave him plenty of time to be ready for Spring Training next year.
"The problem is the femur has got extra bone," Canha said. "It's not shaped correctly. The horizontal section of my femur that attaches the ball that goes into the socket into the vertical second of my femur, that little small horizontal cross-section is misshapen. It needs to be shaved down."
Canha had been platooning at first base behind Yonder Alonso most of the season. The 27-year-old -- who hit 16 home runs with 70 RBIs as a rookie in 2015 -- was batting just .122 with three home runs in 16 games this year.
"It's a tough loss," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "At least this way, after looking at it, it won't affect his season next year. If he were to try to get through this thing and it didn't work, now all of a sudden you're looking at next year, too. He thought long and hard about it, and I think he made the right decision."
The good news, Canha pointed out, is that tests showed he doesn't have a torn labrum -- a common side effect from hip impingement injuries. He's been told by doctors that he can start his rehab, beginning with riding a stationary bike, the day after surgery.
Canha also received encouragement from A's pitchers Eric Surkamp and Sean Manaea, both of whom had similar surgeries.
"They're doing well. It's encouraging," Canha said. "It's not such a bad day in my world. I'm optimistic."