Surgery-bound Quentin looks to next season

LOS ANGELES -- On Wednesday, Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin was hopeful he could schedule surgery on his right knee sooner than later.

Quentin certainly got his wish, as he will go under the knife on Tuesday in San Diego. The surgery will be performed by team physician Heinz Hoenecke, according to manager Bud Black.

The surgery, Quentin's third on his right knee in 18 months, will entail the removal of loose fragments and scar tissue and clean up any loose cartilage, Quentin said.

Quentin, who finishes the season with a .275 average, 13 home runs and 44 RBIs in 276 at-bats, felt pain in the knee on July 28 when he caught his cleat in the dirt on an "aggressive swing." Two days later, he felt additional pain running to first base.

Quentin opted to have surgery now to help ensure he's ready to go at the start of Spring Training in February.

Quentin said earlier this week that his knee was feeling better, but Black said it would have taken him at least two more weeks to get ready to appear in a game again, so the decision was made to undergo the surgery now to give Quentin a jump-start on his recovery.

"I'm optimistic. If you asked me a week ago how I felt about it, I wasn't as optimistic," Quentin said. "This improvement over this last week has given me a lot of hope that I'll have an optimal chance to stay on the field and be healthy for the season."