Astros officially announce Evan Gattis surgery; Luhnow, Gattis speak

Tuesday night, news broke that Houston Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis had surgery on hernia. Now, the Astros have officially announced the surgery and the timetable  for the recovery.

The team called the surgery to "repair a core muscle injury", commonly referred to as a sports hernia. The team reaffirmed the four to six week time table for Gattis' return.

But a key new point was the fact that Gattis will still report to Spring Training:

Gattis will report to Spring Training on time and will rehab with the Astros medical staff. The Astros first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 23.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow spoke with the Houston Chronicle's Evan Drellich about Gattis. Luhnow noting that the timetable is rough for Gattis' return and the gameplan for Gattis and possible replacement during Spring Training isn't set in stone.

Gattis' lost spring at-bats "give us some opportunities more closely to see some of the other guys competing for spots," Luhnow noted.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 10, 2016

"Those estimates are rough estimates," Luhnow said of 4-6 wks. "Were going to be optimistic...(and) plan for various scenarios of return time"

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 10, 2016

Luhnow on Gattis: "We can expect in six weeks that he'll be taking at-bats."

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 10, 2016

Fox 26's Mark Berman talked with Gattis about his injury. Gattis said the injury has been lingering for along time, even as far back as 2011.

Evan Gattis(@BulldogBeing) "I thought there was something wrong w/my hip,something similar,all the way back to 2011" pic.twitter.com/tqh4Ob69uc

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) February 10, 2016