Shuey Is Out for Season

Relief pitcher Paul Shuey has known for months his career was in jeopardy because of a degenerative hip condition.

Shuey on Monday informed the Dodgers he would sit out the rest of the season to have a third procedure on his right hip, hoping to prolong a nine-year career. A date for the surgery had not been scheduled.

“I have to do this. Otherwise, I’m giving up the game,” Shuey said. “That’s the most frustrating thing for me with my arm feeling the way it is.

“If I had a healthy [hip], I’m throwing 94, 95 [mph] right now. I know that. But it’s 85, 88 and too much pain to know where [the ball] is going. I’m going to do it.”

The right-hander decided to have hip surgery for the second time in nine months after meeting Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Dr. Marc Philipon, who performed the procedure in October.

Shuey, who suffered tendon damage in his right thumb in spring training, recently ended a minor league rehabilitation program because of chronic hip pain. Philipon plans to restructure the joint in the front of the hip, and might use a titanium implant.

“We don’t know what he has to do until he actually gets in there, but they’re not talking about any kind of a total replacement,” said Shuey, who rejoined the team Monday in Houston after missing the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Bank One Ballpark.

“That’s the next step if this doesn’t work. But you can’t pitch if you have a full replacement.”

Team trainer Stan Johnston said that the recovery time for reconstructive hip surgery is six to eight months. Shuey, who turns 34 on Sept. 16, would probably need at least another four months for a baseball rehabilitation program. Johnston said he could not think of any current major league pitchers with reconstructed hips.

Shuey has a salary of $3.25 million in the final year of his contract. “I still want to pitch,” he said.

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Third baseman Adrian Beltre has started the last two games after having been held out of the lineup in six consecutive games because of a right thigh injury.

Beltre acknowledged his thigh had not completely healed, and he also has bone spurs on his left ankle.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Beltre, who hit his team-leading 24th home run Monday against the Astros. “We’re trying to get to the playoffs, so I want to be out there.”

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Outfielder Juan Encarnacion was activated from the disabled list and Chin-Feng Chen was optioned to triple-A Las Vegas.