Machado surgery set for Wednesday

CHICAGO - Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will undergo surgery on his right knee Wednesday morning in Los Angeles.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache will repair the medial patellar ligament, the same procedure he performed on Machado's left knee in October.

Machado will fly to Los Angeles on Tuesday and stay for two or three weeks before beginning his rehabilitation in Sarasota. Machado rehabbed in Miami last year.

Dave Walker, the Orioles' minor league medical coordinator, will oversee Machado's rehab at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

"If everything goes well, he'll have a normal spring training instead of the one he had this year," said manager Buck Showalter. "He'll be ready to go in February, March and the first games if everything goes the way the timing goes."

Having a full spring training should prove beneficial to Machado, who missed the first month of the season and got off to a slow start.

"The problem is he had a hamstring and he had a couple things that weren't really related, but somewhat related, to the surgery that set him back," Showalter said.

"I think eliminating all that before the games start in March, we've got a better shot at it. We've got a mini-camp set up for the middle of January that are designed for things like this. We'll probably have it in Sarasota again. Hopefully by that time we're nearing the end of it."

Machado apparently made the decision to rehab in Sarasota, "and I think that's a good thing," Showalter said.

"I have a lot of faith in Dave Walker and our people in Sarasota, as Manny does," Showalter said. "Not that the Miami situation wasn't good, but I think there's a little more privacy.

"It's Manny's decision and I'm glad."

Showalter isn't certain whether Machado will come back to Baltimore following the surgery or go directly to Sarasota.

Machado is getting married on Dec. 6.

"We want to make sure we've got him walking by then," Showalter said.