Knee surgery should help third baseman regain flexibility.

By Scott Merkin
MLB.com
October 15, 2008

CHICAGO -- Hitting 23 home runs with 67 RBIs in just 100 games in his 2007 full-time Major League debut served as a source of pride and confidence for Josh Fields.

That effort also was not a complete representation of Fields' true ability. After having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last Thursday in Chicago, the 25-year-old third baseman hopes to return to that all-round game in speedy fashion.

"I remember in 2006, I was able to steal 28 bases," said Fields during a recent conversation from his home in Oklahoma. "It's frustrating to not have that part of your game, and I'm excited to get back to 2006. Your average really can stay up by just a few little hits in the infield."

The speed aspect of Fields' game, an intangible general manager Ken Williams will look to upgrade within the White Sox this offseason, was absent this season in part due to that ongoing soreness in Fields' right knee. He feels that problem has been alleviated through surgery performed on the knee by team physician Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph.

As Fields described the lateral release procedure, four tendons hold up the patella and the one on the outside got scarred up and tight. That tendon was released so the patella could go back where it's supposed to be in the center of the knee.

Cartilage damage also was cleaned up in the knee.

"There turned out to be a lot more cartilage damage then what was initially expected," said Fields, who added that the knee soreness came to a head through a handful of collisions at home plate and hard slides breaking up double plays for Triple-A Charlotte in 2008. "It turns out that this has been needed for a while.

"For a couple of years, I actually felt tightness, but you go out and play through things," said Fields, who credited White Sox athletic trainer Herm Schneider and his staff and the Charlotte training staff for doing everything possible to avoid surgery. "The pain would come and go. I could have gone in and played late in the game like I was, but we were going to have to get at it to play every day."

Fields mentioned how doctors were surprised by the strength he was able to maintain in his legs through the knee problem, with 2007 serving as a prime example. While Fields felt the pain most while running, it also was prevalent while hitting.

Another by-product of the surgery is that Fields will have greater flexibility in the field. That flexibility should contribute to improved defense at third base, a weaker area of Fields' game targeted by manager Ozzie Guillen during the 2008 season, which led to Juan Uribe taking the starting reigns when Joe Crede went down with back issues.

Back in August, Fields told MLB.com how he would put in the necessary offseason work to make sure these defensive shortcomings would not be held against him again. Going at the task completely healthy only will help his cause.

"Knowing my flexibility will be almost 100 percent, I'll be back where I used to be when I got drafted," said Fields, the White Sox top pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. "I felt better fielding out of college then where I've been lately. The best news they told me was that there will be a dramatic improvement in my flexibility."

Rehabilitation already began for Fields on Monday, and he believes the healing will take place quickly. Fields also intends to return to workouts such as yoga and Pilates so he can set himself up to contribute as more than just a slugger. Once the knee heals, his work will begin on a daily basis at his new Florida residence.

Now, the question at hand is whether Fields will be playing third base for the White Sox in 2009 and beyond. He hit .246 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs for Charlotte last year, along with a .156 average in 32 at-bats for the White Sox.

With Crede, the incumbent third baseman, shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Uribe all figuring to test the free-agent market, two starting infield spots appear to be open. Fields, having fanned 662 times in 2,110 career at-bats, won't be able to change his game totally.

But last week's surgical procedure gives him a healthier approach toward the 2009 season. It's a year in which Fields feels a full-time move to the big leagues is imminent, whether it's with the White Sox or another team.

"They have value in me, whether it's playing third base for the White Sox or getting value through a trade," said Fields, who has spent parts of the last three seasons with Charlotte. "I know the White Sox, and I think one of those two will happen.

"Kenny came up to me [at the end of 2008], and knowing about the surgery, said that he needed me ready. That's pretty much it, standard stuff. There's a lot of stuff going on this offseason, with the whole team in general. So it was left at it that. They were very excited with how the season went, but not the outcome of the playoffs."