Procedure not considered serious

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Barry Bonds suffered a minor complication from knee surgery over the weekend when one of the sutures from his recent arthroscopic procedure leaked and had to be re-sutured.

It's not considered unusual or serious. Bonds, 40, is scheduled to report for the Giants' first full-squad spring workout Feb. 23 and should be at full strength by Opening Day.

	Barry Bonds Left Field San Francisco Giants Profile
	2004 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 147 45 101 129 6 .362

"This procedure was very minor and will not affect his rate of recovery," Conte said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Monday night. "He continues to do well as expected."

Bonds underwent arthroscopic surgery last Monday on his right knee. The seven-time National League MVP had a "minor arthritis cleanup," the Giants said in a statement. Dr. Arthur Ting also repaired a small tear in Bonds' meniscus.

Giants trainer Stan Conte expects Bonds to participate in at least the final two weeks of spring training.

"It's not a situation where I'm concerned for him," Conte said last week. "It doesn't take him long to get ready. ... It's good for him not to wear himself out during spring training, which he does sometimes."

Bonds often tires of the day-to-day grind of spring training, both mentally and physically, and his rehabilitation might even provide a respite. Bonds had a similar surgery on his left knee in October.

Conte said Bonds' knees have responded well to similar arthroscopic operations and that Bonds has "a very youthful body for his age."

"He recovers well," Conte said. "You never know when age is going to be an issue, but this surgery was not extensive."

Bonds' knee showed signs of arthritis during a similar operation in 1999, but this surgery revealed less trouble than the Giants feared. Bonds first complained of pain in his right knee last week.

Bonds finished last season with 703 career homers, trailing only Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).

He also became the oldest player in major league history to win an MVP award. Bonds hit .362 to win his second NL batting title in three seasons and shattered the major league record with a .609 on-base percentage, topping the previous mark of .582 he set two years ago.

He walked 232 times, 34 more than the previous record he set in 2002 and more than 100 better than anyone else in baseball this season. His 120 intentional walks obliterated the old mark of 68 that he had set in 2002.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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