Marlins' Stanton to have arthroscopic knee surgery

In his third season with the Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton has a career .266 average with 75 homers.

Terry Renna/AP

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Giancarlo Stanton will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Sunday after lasting just two innings in his first start in five games, leaving the Miami Marlins without a representative on the field at Tuesday's All-Star game.

"He might be out for a month or six weeks, that's what I think," manager Ozzie Guillen said after a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Saturday. "Hopefully less. We're better off that way because that kid couldn't do anything."

General manager Mike Hill said surgery had been discussed as an alternative if Stanton had difficulty playing. He said the procedure to remove a loose body in the knee is fairly routine.

"It was just discomfort," Hill said. "And we knew that once we had tried it, that if it flared up again surgery was the logical option."

Hill said the Marlins would not be naming a replacement for Stanton. Guillen joked that Tony La Russa, the National League All-Star manager now working for Major League Baseball, didn't have his phone number except "when he calls me for fines."

Stanton, a first-time All-Star, started Saturday's 3-2 loss at St. Louis but was removed for a pinch hitter in the third.

Stanton, who singled and scored on Justin's Ruggiano's two-run homer in the second, began the day with a .282 batting average, 19 homers and 50 RBIs. He also was scheduled to participate in Monday's All-Star home run derby in Kansas City.

"He's a big bat," Guillen said. "This is our power hitter, the RBI guy. I think everybody out there has got to step it up a noitch and try to cover the space."

But Guillen said the Marlins won't rush things, adding "He's back when he's back. I think we have to be careful with him."

Hill described Stanton's mood as "encouraged."

"It's a common surgery, a lot of people have done it and come back quickly," Hill said. "We're hopeful that will happen with Giancarlo."

Both Guillen and Hill thought the Marlins had enough talent to survive until Stanton gets back. Outfielder Emilio Bonafacio is expected to come off the 15-day disabled list from a sprained left thumb that has sidelined him since May 20 after the All-Star break.

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