The season is officially over for Jerry Hairston Jr., the Dodgers’ utility player extraordinaire.
The Dodgers announced after Wednesday’s game that Hairston will have surgery on his left hip sometime in the next two weeks.
Hairston has been on the disabled list since Aug. 13 with what the Dodgers initially called an inflamed hip. He did not respond to an anti-inflammatory injection last week.
Head trainer Sue Falsone said Tuesday that Hairston would likely be examined by a couple more hip specialists before the exact nature of his potential surgery was determined, but it would likely involve an arthroscopic procedure similar to what is more commonly performed on shoulders.
Hairston had been a valuable utility player this season for the Dodgers, having started at second, third and left field. He ends the season batting .273.
He said the hip had been bothering him to some degree for almost two months, and he had only five hits in his last 38 at-bats.
Hairston, 36, is under contract to the Dodgers next season at $3.75 million. Falsone said if Hairston has an arthroscopic procedure, he should be able to resume baseball activities by the start of next spring training.
-Steve Dilbeck
