Mueller will have knee surgery
Third baseman Bill Mueller joined the ranks of the inactive Red Sox yesterday when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 20. He will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday morning in Phoenix.
The surgeon, David Zeman, has diagnosed Mueller with mild degenerative arthritis, according to Red Sox physican Bill Morgan. The prognosis, according to Morgan, is for Mueller to miss about six weeks.
"Billy has some mild degeneration in his knee and some mild arthritis in his kneecap,'' said Morgan. "He's already been injected and treated conservatively. We're going to proceed with an arthroscopy to clean up the area, to shave his patella. And then get him on a rehab program after that.''
Mueller joins Ellis Burks, Nomar Garciaparra, Ramiro Mendoza, Trot Nixon, and Scott Williamson as major players on the disabled list, while Byung Hyun Kim, who started the year on the disabled list, is returning to his native Korea to see a back specialist. That means about $35 million of the team's $125 million payroll isn't contributing right now.
Mueller was replaced on the roster by Andy Dominique, 28, who was hitting .321 with 13 doubles, and 7 homers at Pawtucket. Dominique, a righthander hitter, is a DH/first baseman/catcher.
Mueller seemed relieved that he was having the problem taken care of. For three weeks, he has been in and out of the lineup, seeing if the knee would respond to rest and medication.
``I'm just going to go in there and have the debris cleaned out and fraying taken care of and just tighten everything up,'' said Mueller, who had surgery to repair a fractured left knee in 2001, when he was with the Cubs. ``I've been dealing with swelling for 16-17 days, and that means not being able to go on the field and play.''
Mueller, who won the American League batting title last season, was hitting .262 with 7 doubles, 5 homers, and 21 RBIs in 36 games. He also was leading the team with 7 errors.
``He plays hard,'' said Morgan, ``and he's pushed himself over the edge this year to the point where it's not responding to the anti-inflammatory medication he's been on for the past couple of years. It's been a problem throughout the year.''
In Mueller's absence, the Sox likely will keep Kevin Youkilis at third base, and it is a situation Mueller can appreciate, since a knee injury to Matt Williams allowed him to get playing time as a rookie with the San Francisco Giants in 1996.
``I'm very excited for Kevin,'' said Mueller. ``I hope he has a 15-year career and helps us win a championship. I wish him all the best.''
"I'm very grateful for any opportunity I receive,'' Youkilis said. "You hate to see a great hitter and player like Bill get injured and I only hope I can help fill those shoes. For me, it's just a matter of trying to get better as a hitter and fielder and do my part to help us win.''
Manager Terry Francona said the strength of this team has been its ability to overcome injuries.
"I feel for Bill,'' Francona said. ``I respect him as a player and a person. This was a tough decision for him to make, and it's been playing in his mind for a while. We feel Kevin Youkilis will help us win and this allows us to activate Andy Dominique and we know what a good hitter he is. This will give us some options.''
Mueller echoed that optimism.
"You've seen how this team has played,'' he said. "These are guys that are coming up here playing their butts off. They're trying to stay here and make a name for themselves as well.
"Yeah, you want your full team 100 percent all the time but sometimes that doesn't happen so you make adjustments as well. I think [Garciaparra and Nixon] are getting pretty close. This team is going to get better and better throughout the season.''
