New Braves right fielder Nick Markakis will have fusion surgery Wednesday for a herniated disk in his neck and should be ready for all or most of spring training.
The expected recovery time is about eight weeks, after which Markakis should be able to resume baseball activities barring any setbacks in his rehab. He could begin controlled workouts by mid-January.
Spring training and the regular season start about a week later this year, with the Braves’ first full-squad spring workout set for Feb. 26.
Markakis signed a four-year, $44 million free-agent contract with the Braves on Dec. 3, after nine seasons with the Orioles. Two days later the Woodstock High graduate confirmed that he was leaning toward having surgery for a herniated disk that has caused varying levels of pain since it was first diagnosed in March 2013.
Despite the ailment, Markakis played 160 of his team’s 162 games in 2013 and 155 games this past season, when he won his second Gold Glove. There has been speculation that the disk condition led to his career-low slugging percentages of .356 in 2013 and .386 in .2014, down from .471 in 2012 and .436 or higher in six of his first seven seasons.
Braves president of baseball operation John Hart said the team knew Markakis was considering surgery when he signed his contract, and Hart said Braves specialists agreed it was prudent to get it done now and that it could benefit him both in terms of performance and comfort. He’ll have the surgery in Atlanta.
