D-Backs notebook: Hudson will have surgery Monday

Personalized fungo bat at the ready, Orlando Hudson moved into the second phase of his season Saturday, sitting at manager Bob Melvin’s side in the dugout.

Spark plug and All-Star second baseman Hudson announced Saturday he will miss the rest of the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left wrist suffered Tuesday. He will undergo surgery Monday.

“I had a long talk with my mom, my agent, my grandma. We talked about it, and it’s the best thing to do,” said Hudson, having his second consecutive career year with the D-Backs.

“Everything will be all right,” he continued, adding that his grandmother, Helen Robinson, told him to “keep your head up and keep praying.”

Hudson, a two-time defending Gold Glove winner ends his season hitting .294 with 10 home runs, 63 RBIs and a career-high 10 stolen bases. He had committed 10 errors, only one in his last 77 games.

Hudson was injured when he jammed his thumb into the bag while stealing third base in the seventh inning of a 9-1 victory Tuesday, although he played Wednesday in a 9-6 victory over the Padres, tripling in one run and scoring another with a thumb that “damn hurt like hell,” he said.

“The fact of the matter is, the ligament was torn off the bone. There’s nothing you can do for it,” Melvin said.

“He’s distraught about the whole situation, but he understands what he has to do.”

Dr. Don Sheridan will perform the surgery, and Hudson is expected to rejoin the team when it returns from a road trip next week.

“The heart (of the team) is still going to be there,” Melvin said when asked how the D-Backs will respond to Hudson’s absence.

“We’re just not going to have one of the best players on the team.”

Augie Ojeda has started the last two games at second base, and Melvin said Alberto Callaspo likely will start today and get the bulk of the playing time the rest of the season.

“He’s definitely a cornerstone of this team,” Eric Byrnes said, “but we’re not going to give up without Orlando Hudson. We have quality backups.”

SHORT HOPS: Right-hander Edgar Gonzalez (7-2, 5.00 ERA) will start the second of the San Francisco series on Tuesday. “He deserves it,” Melvin said. Gonzalez last pitched Sept. 1, when he threw 3 1-3 shutout innings in place of Dana Eveland to get the win in a 13-7 victory. He is 3-2 with a 4.47 ERA as a starter. ...

The D-Backs’ Class A affiliates in Visalia (California League) and South Bend (Midwest League) won first-round playoff series and began second-round series Saturday night. Visalia starters Hector Ambriz and Matt Torra limited Modesto to one earned run in two games to sweep the best-of-three series.