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NEW YORK (AP) — Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes had surgery on his right heel Thursday, the first of two procedures that will likely sideline him for eight to 10 months.
Dr. Robert Anderson removed bone calcification in Cespedes' heel during the operation in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Assistant general manager John Ricco said Thursday that Cespedes will rest for eight to 12 weeks before getting surgery on his left heel.
"The surgery went well as expected, so that was positive news," Ricco said.
Ricco also said doctors want to make sure Cespedes has some mobility in the right leg before the second surgery.
The 32-year-old outfielder hit .262 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 38 games this season. He missed over two months with what the Mets said was a strained right hip flexor and homered in his return from the disabled list July 20 against the Yankees.
The return was brief as Cespedes stunned the Mets by saying he was considering surgery on both heels. He sat out the next game and was placed on the 10-day disabled list on July 24.
Since the start of 2017 — the first season of his $110 million, four-year contract — lower leg injuries have limited Cespedes to 119 games.
The Mets have said they were aware Cespedes' heel issues when they acquired him from Detroit at the 2015 non-waiver deadline.
His bat has been impactful for the Mets when he's been healthy.
Cespedes sparked New York's run to the World Series in 2015, its first since 2000, by hitting 17 homers in 59 regular-season games. In January 2016, he signed a three-year deal with an opt-out clause after one season and wound up hitting .280 with 31 homers and 86 RBIs in 132 games as the Mets made a late-season run and hosted the National League wild-card game.
The Mets are 155-133 when Cespedes plays.
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