Former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel will miss Tuesday’s All-Star Game, and a lot more games after that too.
Kimbrel will have surgery Monday to repair cartilage in his left knee and is expected to miss 3-6 weeks. He hurt the knee Friday while fielding in the outfield during batting practice.
The Red Sox announced Saturday that Kimbrel has a medial meniscus tear and he’s been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
“I took a step for a groundball, heard a pop and didn’t really think it was anything serious,” Kimbrel said.
In 2012, then-Yankees closer Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee shagging balls.
Manager Rick Farrell said it was part of Kimbrel’s cardiovascular work.
“Pregame conditioning went fine. There was a change of direction during shagging BP, which is routine, normal,” he said. “This is anomaly. You can’t put guys in bubbles.”
Kimbrel said he won’t reconsider his routine because it was a fluke, and only on a grounder.
“If I was shagging flyballs, maybe,” he said. “I just took a step.”
Kimbrel is 1-3 and has saves and a 3.55 ERA. He was one of six Red Sox players named to the American League All-Star team.
The Braves traded Kimbrel and center fielder Melvin Upton Jr., to the Padres for outfielders Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin, pitcher Matt Wisler, outfielder Jordan Paroubeck and a draft pick just before the start of the 2015 season.
