Zobrist to undergo left knee surgery

OAKLAND -- Ben Zobrist, the A's do-it-all man, has a medial meniscus tear in his left knee and will undergo arthroscopic surgery that's expected to keep him out four to six weeks.

Zobrist tried to play through the injury with a start at designated hitter on Friday against the Astros after missing four straight games, but he was noticeably uncomfortable.

That's when the A's made a late call to corner infielder Max Muncy, who joined the club Saturday morning, and decided to put Zobrist on the 15-day disabled list.

"I wasn't getting out of the box well at all," said Zobrist, batting .240 in 14 games. "And frankly, the worst thing out of it was just trying to swing. When I swung right-handed, specifically, it put a lot of pressure on that front knee, the left knee.

"I just didn't feel like I could be the player that this team needs me to be in the condition that I was trying to play in. So gotta get it cleaned up and get back out here as soon as possible."

A surgery date will be set soon.

"This is the thing to do, to get him back sooner than later, and this way, once he rehabs and he's healthy again, he won't have this weighing on him," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "We brought him in here for a reason, to be a significant factor for us. But depending on the timetable, we're going to get him back for most of the season. These are the things you have to deal with over the course of the season."

With Zobrist out of the mix for at least another month, Eric Sogard is expected to assume everyday second-base duties. In the batting order, catcher Stephen Vogt will continue to draw starts in the third hole, Zobrist's normal home.

Vogt entered Saturday batting .373 with a team-leading four home runs and 14 RBIs.

"Certainly the way he's swinging now," said Melvin. "We want our best hitters in the middle of the order. Zo was the guy for the three spot. Since he's been out, Stephen's done a nice job with it. As long as he's swinging the bat well, I can see him there."