Tulowitzki on season-ending surgery: 'Should answer a lot of leg issues I've had in my past'

In a career hindered by injuries and MVP seasons cut short, Troy Tulowitzki is trying to find the silver lining in his latest setback.

The extent to which Tulowitzki's hip is damaged remains unclear, but the All-Star shortstop believes it could be partly to blame for a rash of lower-body ailments in recent years.

"I'm looking forward to getting back and playing the game I love," Tulowitzki told the Denver Post on Wednesday. "I will do everything I can to perform at a high level for the rest of my career. This [surgery] should answer a lot of leg issues I have had in my past."

The Colorado Rockies shortstop is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery Friday to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. Dr. Marc Philippon will perform the procedure in Vail, Colo., according to the team.

Tulowitzki, in the midst of the best season of his career, is expected to need five months to recover, head trainer Keith Dugger said. 

Originally diagnosed as a left hip flexor strain, Dugger said the Rockies won't know how significant the tear is until Tulowitzki goes under the knife.

Via the Post:

Right now we're just saying it's a tear. Yes, there are degrees, but a lot of time you don't know until post-op. 

Do you have to put sutures in there? Is it just a clean-up job or do they have to shave bone spurs? You really don't know that kind of stuff until they get in there. Full recovery time is about five months ... By spring training, he's full go for sure.

It's too early to tell if Tulowitzki's hip is a symptom of previous ailments, but his meeting last month with noted specialist Dr. William Meyers suggested the possibility his body is compensating for old injuries.

Tulowitzki, who has appeared in 150 games twice during his nine-year career, was sidelined 46 games in 2008 with a torn tendon in his left quadriceps and another 47 contests in 2012 with a left groin strain.

It's believed his 2008 quad injury has left Tulowitzki with a muscle imbalance in his upper left leg.