Bonds Has Another Surgery on His Knee

Barry Bonds pushed his surgically repaired right knee so hard that the San Francisco Giants became concerned he might be doing too much. Yet, after 19 major league seasons, the team trusted that Bonds knew his body best.

But on Thursday, Bonds underwent a second operation in San Francisco on the knee -- a setback that makes it unlikely the slugger will be ready for opening day.

While the Giants offered no timetable for Bonds’ return, it took the seven-time National League most valuable player more time than expected to recover from the original surgery on the knee on Jan. 31.

“This is certainly a setback, and a significant one,” General Manager Brian Sabean said. “Obviously, we didn’t know we were going to go down this path. Barry did what he felt he could tolerate on any given day. I’m glad this happened now instead of three days before the season.”

Trainer Stan Conte said he could not rule out the possibility of Bonds’ being ready for the opener on April 5 against the Dodgers, but said it was “not an unreasonable thing” to assume he would be sidelined past that date.

“It would be pretty incredible, but I’ve learned with Barry I never say he can’t do something,” Conte said.

The Giants said in a statement that Bonds had arthroscopic surgery to repair tears in the knee, similar to his earlier operation.

Bonds, 40, has “experienced periods of swelling in his knee following an incident when he accidentally hit his knee on a table at SBC Park Feb. 4. Neither rest nor his current rehabilitation program has helped alleviate the periodic swelling,” the Giants said in a release.

“It was a big blow to begin with and now it’s a bigger blow,” Manager Felipe Alou said before the Giants played the Texas Rangers in an exhibition game. “Now it’s real, he’s going to be out.”

Bonds is expected to return to Arizona next week.

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The Toronto Blue Jays released veteran closer Billy Koch, who had signed a one-year, $900,000 deal to return to Toronto on Jan. 10.

However, Koch, 30, struggled this spring and was 0-0 with a 15.00 earned-run average in three appearances.

“We just looked at the camp in general and right now with the competition he is the last guy in line,” Blue Jay General Manager J.P. Riccardi said.

Overall, Koch is 29-25 with a 3.89 ERA and 163 career saves.

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New York Yankee closer Mariano Rivera played catch for the first time since being sidelined by mild bursitis in his right elbow.

Rivera made 66 throws in the outfield before the Yankees’ exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers was canceled because of rain.

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The New York Mets released veteran utilityman Joe McEwing.

McEwing was given the option of staying and working out with the team or being released outright, and he opted to be released.

McEwing was hitting only .133 this spring after batting .254 with one home run and 16 RBIs in 75 games last season.

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The Kansas City Royals reassigned outfielder Brian Hunter to their minor league camp.

Hunter, 34, signed in February and hit .250 in 10 exhibition games.