New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez, already at the centre of a doping storm, will have a cyst removed from his right hip and could be sidelined until May.
The injury is the latest setback for Rodriguez, who admitted earlier this year that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-03.
Rodriguez had been scheduled to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but is now expected to miss the global event.
Rodriguez, a three-time Most Valuable Player, had been sent to see doctor Marc Phillipon at a clinic in Vail, Colorado, after experiencing tightness and stiffness in his right hip.
