Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez has a herniated disk and could face career-ending surgery if he hurts his back again, the Major League Baseball team said Tuesday.
"We're at a pretty serious point," Athletics assistant general manager David Forst said before Oakland played Tampa Bay on Tuesday. "We're doing everything we can medically to get him back on the field."
Chavez, who is already on a rehabilitation assignment in Arizona, was moved from the 15- to 60-day disabled list.
Chavez was limited to just 113 games over the 2007-08 seasons due to back problems, and recently learned of the herniated disk.
He was told the condition could deteriorate at anytime, which would require spinal fusion surgery.
"It's disheartening," Chavez told The San Francisco Chronicle. "It was kind of the worst-case scenario. It goes beyond baseball."
Copyright 2009 AFP American Edition
