Troy Glaus arrived in St. Louis via a trade with the Blue Jays. (Scott Boehm/Getty Images)St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus will be spending the next three months recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder.
Glaus, 32, had the procedure performed Wednesday in Los Angeles, and might well miss a portion of the regular season, which begins April 6.
"I think there is a chance," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. "It is really hard to guess when he will return until he can start doing some baseball activities."
Glaus had a terrific first season with the Cardinals, who acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays for fellow third baseman Scott Rolen on Jan. 14, 2008.
Glaus hit .270 with 27 home runs, 99 runs batted in and 69 runs scored in 151 games, and set a franchise record for fielding percentage (.982) at third base. But the four-time all-star missed a few games in September with a strained right shoulder that required two cortisone shots.
Glaus later notified the Cardinals that he was experiencing discomfort in the shoulder during off-season workouts, and learned Monday that he needed surgery.
"It is a loss," Mozeliak said. "But it is part of the game.
"We will be fine. We will find a way to survive."
Glaus is a career .256 hitter with 304 HRs, 877 RBIs and 835 runs in 1,395 games over 11 MLB seasons with the Anaheim Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and Cardinals.
He was named the most valuable player in the 2002 World Series, won by the Angels in seven games over the San Francisco Giants.
Glaus is due $11.25 million US this season.
With files from the Associated Press
