Todd Helton has had a rough year; he missed a couple of weeks after the All-Star break to rest his right hip, which had some inflammation issues. Activated July 27, he went 6-for-19 in six games before the pain got too much for him. Patrick Saunders:
The Rockies’ veteran first baseman will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip. The surgery, to be performed Friday, marks the end of Helton’s 15th full season in the major leagues.
“The recovery time is about six months, so I am doing this now so I can be ready for spring training. I plan on playing next year,” Helton told The Denver Post on Monday morning.
The Rockies activated infielder Chris Nelson to take Helton’s place on the 25-man roster.
Helton has a year left on his Rockies contract; he’s scheduled to make $5 million in 2013. He’s been a mainstay of the Colorado offense for 16 seasons, but hit just .238/.343/.400 this season, perhaps as a result of this injury. He’ll surely want to come back next year and retire (he’ll be 39) on better terms.
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