Mark Kotsay has never played fewer than 119 games in any of his nine major-league seasons, but that will change in 2007.

The Oakland Athletics centre-fielder will miss a minimum two months of action after announcing Thursday he will undergo back surgery.

Outfielder Mark Kotsay missed 25 of Oakland's final 51 regular-season games last season with a sore back.
(Jim Mone/Associated Press)

The procedure will repair a herniated disc between the L3 and L4 (lumbar vertebrae) and could keep Kotsay out of the lineup for as many as 12 weeks.

"It actually feels good, as weird as that sounds, because now we have a plan," Kotsay told MLB.com. "We've been trying to do so many things just to keep me on the field, but obviously it wasn't working out.

"Now we have something that I know I'm going to do this, and two years from now I won't look back and wonder, 'What if I had the surgery done?'"

Kotsay, 31, spent part of the 2003 season on the disabled list with a sprained lower back when he was a member of the San Diego Padres.

The latest injury caused Kotsay to miss 25 of Oakland's final 51 regular-season games last season, but he returned to play all seven post-season contests.

A California native, Kotsay added yoga stretches to his off-season training, but upon arriving at spring training last month he suffered back spasms that forced him to miss workouts.

"It's really hard not be around my team," Kotsay said, "but I think this is going to work out for the best, and hopefully it's something that's going to extend my career and make me more valuable to the team."

Kotsay batted .275 in 2006 with seven home runs and 59 RBI in 129 games.

Milton Bradley will replace Kotsay in centre-field, with Shannon Stewart in left field and Swisher in right. Bobby Kielty, who is recovering from knee surgery, becomes the top backup.

Oakland opens the season April 2 in Seattle against the Mariners.