Brewers' Braun to undergo thumb surgery Thursday

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will undergo surgery Thursday on his troublesome right thumb, a minimally invasive surgical procedure he hopes will allow him to recapture the offensive success that eluded him in 2014.

"My expectation moving forward is to be the same player I've been over the first seven years of my career and not the way I've played this year," Braun told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "It's 100% possible, I have no doubt."

Braun, a five-time All-Star, battled a nerve problem for much of the season that made him unable to properly grip the bat. The 30-year-old struggled mightily throughout the second half of the season, hitting just .228/.295/.379 with eight home runs after the All-Star break.

"It's been really difficult, and in light of the way we've finished the season, it's tough for me because I've played long enough to know these opportunities don't come around every year as a team," said Braun.

Braun also suggested his recent struggles contributed to his club's disappointing finish in which the Brewers squandered a sizable lead atop the National League Central and ended up missing the postseason.

"I feel like if I was anywhere close to healthy, if I'm at 80-90% and do anywhere near what I expect myself, we'd be in a different position as a team. I don't want this to be something that people think I'm using as an excuse. I have not had a good year; I have not played well. I have not done things that I expect of myself and the standard that I've set for playing this game over the first seven years of my career."

Braun also elaborated on how his thumb affected him throughout the season, precipitating Thursday's cryotherapy procedure designed to freeze the damaged tissue in his thumb:

It's not so much that the pain is unbearable or anything like that. The analogy I use is that if you touch a hot stove with your hand, regardless of how badly you want to keep your hand there, your body will automatically react and you'll take your hand off that stove.

That's essentially what happens with my swing. When the thumb gets bad, as soon as I make contact and it's painful, my body naturally reacts and I'm not able to keep my top hand on the bat. I'm not able to stay over the ball or through the ball and have my regular follow-through on my swing. So, it impacts everything I'm trying to do offensively.

When you can't use your top hand as a baseball player, it drastically alters everything that you do. I've tried to adjust; I've tried to find a way to deal with it the best I could. At times, I've been OK. But, for the most part, it's been really difficult, really challenging and very frustrating.