SAN DIEGO, May 24 (UPI) -- San Diego Padres second baseman Mark Loretta had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks.
Loretta, who injured the thumb sliding into first base on May 17 against the Atlanta Braves, was named to his first All-Star Game last season.
He played in the first 40 games for the Padres this season. He is hitting .300 with six stolen bases, five doubles, one triple and 13 RBI.
"Any time you lose a player the caliber of a Mark Loretta, it's a big blow," said Padres General Manager Kevin Towers. "However we are encouraged that Mark did not need to have a full reconstruction of the thumb."
In 2004, Loretta batted .335, with 208 hits, 47 doubles, 16 home runs (16), 76 RBI and 108 runs scored.
