BALTIMORE, March 15 (UPI) -- Baltimore pitcher Kris Benson has decided to have surgery on the partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
The team said the procedure will prevent the veteran right-hander from pitching this season.
The injury was revealed in February, and an attempted rehab program was curtailed when the pain intensified during spring training.
"He was doing well, and four or five days ago, had a setback with it," Baltimore's executive vice president of baseball operations, Mike Flanagan, said on the team's Web site. "He stopped the rehab at that time, and conversations were ongoing with the doctors. The doctors just reached a point with the rehab where he was getting sore and seemed to take a big step backwards."
After coming to Baltimore from the New York Mets in a January 2006 trade, Benson was 11-12 with a 4.82 ERA in 183 innings last season.
Baltimore had already signed free agent right-hander Steve Trachsel to compensate for the expected loss.
