When we discussed Milton's pending surgery last week, he was expected to miss the first month of the season but the Twins didn't seem overly concerned about him remaining on the DL much beyond that length of time. During the Wednesday surgery, doctors reportedly removed around 30 pieces of loose cartilage and noticed inflammation resembling the severity of arthritis.

Milton will spend at least a month on crutches, however he hopes to begin swimming and biking respectively a week and two weeks after the surgery. Some of this damage is likely the result of rushing his return from his last knee surgery, so Milton is determined to take this rehab at a doctor recommended pace in order to avoid endangering his career. Consequently, he's far more likely to take a full six months or longer to recover rather than an optimistic four.

While the Twins are fortunate to have such a talented replacement ready in Johan Santana, now that Santana is committed to a rotation spot for most of the season, they don't have much depth if one of the other high-risk starters goes down. However, they have people who can make spot starts, so I don't think they need to address the issue until there is an immediate need. I'm sure Pittsburgh will be willing to trade them someone for a reasonable price.

Bobby Kielty's spring has not been going well. He developed tendinitis in his right shoulder at the end of February and then pulled an oblique muscle while taking practice swings. Provided he does not encounter another obstacle, he should be healthy before Opening Day. However, he may start the season slowly due to a lack of Spring Training at-bats. Kielty is also expected to receive regular playing time at a number of positions rather than holding a single starting job.

Justin Morneau wasn't likely to break camp with the team regardless of his spring performance, as he has yet to spend any time in AAA. However, it remains unfortunate that his spring was marred by injury. Morneau reportedly broke his toe when he was pushed from behind and caught his toe on the carpet while on the phone. The incident occurred in mid-February and cost the 21-year-old the first three weeks of Spring Training. He still hasn't fully recovered, but he should be fine for the start of the AAA season.

RHP Mike Fetters missed a week with a pulled hamstring, however he has already resumed pitching. Fetters is attempting to add a cut fastball to his repertoire and fighting for a roster spot this spring, so the lost time is annoying. If he doesn't break camp with the team, Fetters has discussed retiring.

Baltimore's Scott Erickson underwent surgery Friday to repair his labrum, which was more than 50% torn, so he likely will not pitch again for the Orioles before attaining free agency at the end of the season. Positive projections for a return from a surgery of this nature estimate at least eight months while pessimists can candidly note that the injury is career threatening. If and when he does recover, he can expect his velocity to have dropped. Even when he was going to attempt to correct the problem through rehab rather than surgery, Baltimore knew he would miss a portion of the season, so they weren't counting on him to contribute to the rotation.

The Orioles do not expect insurance to compensate them for more than half of Erickson's $6.6M salary, so their decision not to trade Erickson in December when there was some interest in him before his injury was discovered now looks even worse. Hopefully, Erickson has arranged for careful management of his money, as he's unlikely to land a contract nearing this price again. However, he evidently has no one to blame but himself. The 35-year-old reportedly sustained the injury while attempting some extra heavy lifting to gain velocity when struggling in 2002. He was unhappy with his progress after returning from August of 2000 Tommy John surgery.

St. Louis' injury problems continue to multiply. Jim Edmonds has now strained his left calf and will miss at least the next two weeks and possible up to a month, which could mean the Cardinals will need to fill two starting outfield jobs with players from their bench. I'm certain St. Louis is less than happy that Boston's interest in Kevin Millar cost them Alex Ochoa, who would have been very nice to have around now.

Eli Marrero seems guaranteed to play practically full-time for at least the first half of the season. However, Marrero hasn't been playing due to a severe multi-day stomachache and will be consulting a gastro-intestinal specialist. Edmonds is currently on crutches with his leg in a boot splint to prevent movement and speed healing.

The Cardinals are now resigned to the fact that J.D. Drew will start the season on the DL as he recovers from knee surgery. Drew is on track to begin participating in games in 10 days, but only on an every other day basis. Spending the first couple of weeks of the season on the DL should allow him to be stronger when he does join the team.

While Jason Isringhausen is on schedule to be ready by Opening Day, he will not have more than two weeks of pitching in games prior to the start of the season.