The closer teams get to Opening Day, the more they merely want to stay healthy. No such luck Monday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals.
The Dodgers learned first baseman Eric Karros will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday and be sidelined three to six weeks.
Karros, 30, hit 31 home runs with 104 RBIs last year. The injury will end his streak of playing 267 consecutive games, and leaves rookie Paul Konerko at first base for the Dodgers.
The Royals found out that ace Kevin Appier, one of baseball’s most durable starting pitchers this decade, will undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair a tear in his right shoulder.
An MRI on Monday revealed the problem, and his status for 1998 will be determined after the operation.
Appier, 104-78 with a 3.30 ERA lifetime, had off-season surgery after hurting his shoulder in a fall on the porch steps of his home.
Royals manager Tony Muser had decided that Appier would begin the season on the disabled list and remain in Florida for an extended spring training. Appier has started a team-record six times on Opening Day, but Muser already had announced Tim Belcher would pitch the opener next Tuesday in Baltimore.
Also Monday, the Cardinals shut down new closer Jeff Brantley for a few days after he was tagged by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for five runs and five hits in only one-third of an inning Sunday.
Brantley, tied for the NL lead in saves in 1996, missed most of the 1997 season because of a shoulder injury.
