Kouzmanoff Surgery Almost Inevitable

Yes, Kevin Kouzmanoff will seek a second opinion on his back injury that has now caused tingling in his leg and foot thanks to a herniated disk, according to Texas Rangers back specialist Dr. Drew Dossett.

But even Kouzmanoff said he's not expecting to hear anything different and is expecting to require surgery, which is what Dossett suggested, that would put him on the shelf for 7-12 weeks. Back surgery is never an easy thing, just ask Matt Harrison.

It's a sad deal for a guy that fought his way back to the majors after two years away from the big leagues and carried the Rangers' lineup through a two-week span when Adrian Beltre was on the disabled list. Kouzmanoff earned AL Player of the Week honors. He hit .362 with two homers and 10 RBIs in his 13 games to go along with six doubles.

To put it simply, Kouzmanoff was the Rangers' most dangerous hitter, and now it's very feasible he could be done. Even when he comes back, it's hard to expect him to pick up where he left off. It's likely Kouzmanoff would've turned into a pumpkin, so to say, eventually and probably ended up treading big-league water again. But maybe not. Regardless, if the Rangers end up in a good spot come October, you can look back at April and thank Kouzmanoff for keeping the team afloat in a time when they easily could've floundered.

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