CINCINNATI, June 30 (UPI) -- Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Kearns will undergo surgery on his ailing right thumb Friday and will be out of the lineup four to six weeks.
The decision to have surgery followed visits to a hand specialist and an orthopedic surgeon.
Kearns, who has been sidelined by the injury since June 8, tried batting practice Tuesday wearing a specially designed glove that padded the affected area.
"It sounds like a little thing, but it makes it difficult to hold the bat," said Kearns, who is hitting just .195 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 28 games.
Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the team physician, and hand specialist Dr. Peter Stern will remove a callous, scar tissue and a bone spur that caused a lesion at the base of the thumb.
"We will wait for the skin to heal, but he can do baseball-related activities other than hit," Kremchek said.
