Mets slugger Delgado out until late July

NEW YORK -- Carlos Delgado had hip surgery on Tuesday, and the New York Mets expect their slugging first baseman to return in late July.

The team said he had arthroscopic surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery and will need a recovery period of about 10 weeks. Delgado was diagnosed with an impingement of the hip, a bone spur and torn labrum.

New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez had surgery in March for a torn labrum -- cartilage that lines the hip socket to stabilize and cushion the joint. He returned to the team two months later.

Delgado was put on the 15-day disabled list last Saturday. The two-time Major League Baseball All-Star is hitting .298 with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 26 games. His 473 home runs are two shy of Stan Musial and Willie Stargell for 28th place on the MLB career list.

The 36-year-old Delgado enjoyed a resurgence last year, batting .271 with 38 homers and 115 RBIs.

"He's a big part of this ballclub and a big part of this lineup, so we're going to miss him," center fielder and No. 3 hitter Carlos Beltran said. "But we still have to go out and play baseball, do the best we can with what we've got and keep ourselves in good shape (in the standings) so that he can help us when he comes back."