Valentin Opts Out Of Surgery

Anthony Di Como at Mets.com, writes about Jose Valentin and how he is opting out of surgery to heal his tear:

Valentin was walking around without pain Monday, showing off the soft knee brace that he will wear for the remainder of the season once he returns.

It's an added precaution for Valentin, who suffered an identical injury in 2005 with the Dodgers. The second baseman wore a more restricting brace after that injury, finally shedding it at the beginning of last season.

"It wasn't fun at all," Valentin said of the brace. "It took a lot away from my game."

And though he's chosen to rehab now so that he can play out the season, he has not ruled out surgery to fix the problem for good this winter.

"I will take my chances, play without surgery," Valentin said. "And after we celebrate the parade after the World Series, the next day after the parade, I can just go have surgery."