Matt Kemp To Have Shoulder Surgery Tomorrow

You're going in there?

We all knew Matt Kemp was playing hurt for much of this season, exacerbated in the latter stages following a devastating crash into the Colorado outfield wall that damaged his shoulder. Mad props to Kemp for fighting through the pain, but even more props to him for recognizing the urgency of getting this fixed. And so, Kemp wasted no time in getting the treatment he's needed for months:

Matt Kemp will wake up from surgery Friday and learn whether his shoulder issues are something he will have to deal with heading into next season.

The gravity of the arthroscopic procedure won't be known until Dr. Neal ElAttrache looks into his shoulder.

If the damage to the labrum in Kemp's left shoulder is minor, ElAttrache will clean it up and Kemp will be able to resume baseball activities in four to six weeks. If the damage is more extensive, Kemp could be sidelined for four months.

"This is humbling," Kemp said, "but, unfortunately, it's something that has to be done."

Kemp's importance to the Dodgers was evident this season, even after they added All-Star-caliber players such as Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez to their lineup. The Dodgers continue to view Kemp as the centerpiece of their lineup and leader of their clubhouse, and there's no reason to believe that will change next season.

"Hopefully, it is a cleanup so he cannot have to worry about being ready for the season," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez had those concerns leading up to the 2011 season. That winter, the left-handed-hitting first baseman had the labrum on his right shoulder repaired.

"You just have to trust it, take it slow and not try to get back at a certain time," Gonzalez said. "The doctor said four months before I could get in a game, so I didn't try to do anything before that."

Gonzalez was limited to 11 games in spring training, his first with the Boston Red Sox.

"I didn't have a lot of power in April, but I got hits and everything," Gonzalez said. "Once May rolled around, I felt pretty good." [...]

While admitting he was nervous about his upcoming operation, Kemp remained as bold as ever.

"I'll be even better than I was this year for next year," he said.

(The article goes on to talk about Chad Billingsley and his ailing elbow, but I don't want to depress you.

Get in there, doc, stat! And don't find anything scary while you're in there. We want Matt back at 100% as soon as possible.