Season-ending surgery for Reds' Hamilton
ST. LOUIS -- Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton will not get to finish the 2015 season. It was decided on Monday that Hamilton will have arthroscopic surgery to clean out his right shoulder.
Hamilton, 25, was in a closed-door meeting with manager Bryan Price, general manager Walt Jocketty and head trainer Paul Lessard earlier on Monday afternoon.
"It's tough. No one wants to have surgery and be out a long period of time from baseball," Hamilton said following the Reds' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night. "This was one of my big offseasons. I was kind of looking forward to it and doing a bunch of work. I told them whatever they can do to make it better, I'll do it. If we can do the surgery right away, I'll still have my offseason plans and keep doing them. It's just something we all decided was best for me and the team, to look forward more to next year. I'm up for it."
Hamilton re-injured the capsule inside his shoulder while making throws from deep center field during a Sept. 14 game vs. the Giants. It is the same shoulder that he originally injured on Aug. 18 while trying to make a diving catch vs. the Royals, an injury that forced him to the disabled list until Sept. 8.
An MRI exam on Saturday morning revealed the extent of the injury, and the consultation with team medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek came Monday. Hamilton was not surprised by the results based on how bad his shoulder felt.
"I knew something was wrong with it, but didn't know exactly what it was," Hamilton said. "I'm just thankful it wasn't what a lot of people were saying it could have been, it could have been way worse than what it is. I still have to deal with it and take real good care of it, because it can affect you in the long run."
Kremchek will perform Hamilton's surgery on Friday in Cincinnati.
"They're basically going to scope it and clean it up," Jocketty said. "There's no structural damage, but we think this will help and be 100 percent and ready to go before Spring Training. The idea to do it now is to get it done so he can start on his offseason conditioning for Spring Training, which starts November 1 for him."
Hamilton batted .226 in 113 games this season, with a Major League-leading 57 stolen bases.
Other injury reports:
• Starting pitcher Raisel Iglesias, who had his turn in the rotation skipped because of right shoulder fatigue, hasn't been ruled out from pitching again this season. Iglesias could make another start, Price felt, even if it's an abbreviated outing.
"If he can get out from where the fatigue and range-of-motion issues are no longer a problem, I'd like to get him back on the mound before the year is out, just to satisfy those questions," Price said. "It's not paramount. I don't think his injury is going to be anything that deters him all from 2016."
• Catcher Brayan Pena, who has pinch-hit in each of the last four games but hasn't started since Sept. 9 because of a strained right hamstring, did some throwing drills and caught a bullpen session on Monday. Pena's final test to pass before he can be cleared to return full time is running the bases.
• Rookie outfielder Ryan LaMarre isn't expected to make a quick return after he strained his right hamstring during Sunday's game at Milwaukee.
"I'm not putting the kibosh on Ryan's season but I don't anticipate him being able to play for several days at the minimum," Price said.