Berkman to have surgery

Astros first baseman Lance Berkman will under surgery to remove loose particles from his left knee and will miss two-to-four weeks. The date of the surgery isn’t known, and it could take place in Houston or Kissimmee, Fla.

It’s unknown whether he’ll be ready for Opening Day. Berkman was examined Friday morning by team medical director Dr. David Lintner.

“We’re probably looking at two-to-four weeks,” general manager Ed Wade said. ”Whether or not he’s going to be ready for Opening Day really just depends on the healing process. They haven’t even gone in yet so it;s too early to tell, but the normal timeframe would be two-to-four weeks. We’ll see where it flows from there.”

Berkman has had the knee drained twice in the last week.

“He had more swelling in it today,” Wade said. ”Dr. Lintner was due down here so he had a chance to see him firsthand and deal with it. We were hoping that it was something he could have gotten through non-surgically, but it makes sense at this point to get it cleaned out and have him move in a straight line when he is back on the field.”

Also, right-hander Alberto Arias saw Lintner on Friday and was diagnosed with a shoulder strain. He will throw Friday and get t cortisone shot if he’s still feeling discomfort.