Adrian Beltre Might Need Offseason Surgery

Adrian Beltre is feeling better after severe stomach pains forced him out of the lineup last week, and--good news--doctors believe they’ve found the cause of the pain: A botched appendectomy performed 11 years ago in the Dominican Republic, which required a second surgery, left a good deal of scar tissue in Beltre’s abdomen, meaning that offseason surgery could be required to “clean it up” so to speak.

Beltre returned to the lineup on Saturday at Seattle after sitting out the series finale with the Angels, and by all acounts (including Beltre’s) the All-Star third baseman is feeling a lot better.

Further, Beltre’s just glad it’s nothing more serious.

“We went through every corner trying to find something and we didn’t so that’s good,” Beltre said, per the Dallas Morning News. “We just wasted a lot of time trying to do all the tests. I feel better physically.”

In the meantime, Beltre said he’s going to do his best to avoid foods that are hard to digest and make sure he gets enough fluids. In addition, manager Ron Washington is reportedly considering using Beltre at designated hitter more often to lighten his workload as the team prepares for the playoffs. But overall, the manager has been encouraged by Beltre’s recovery thus far.

“He looked good and ready to go,” Washington said of Beltre’s return Saturday. “But even if he didn’t, I don’t think I could convince him otherwise to sit out. I use the saying ‘mind over matter’ a lot. Adrian has a very strong mind. He will play to what he can tolerate.”