Orioles star Nick Markakis will undergo surgery Tuesday in hopes of returning if the team makes a deep postseason run. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Baltimore Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis will have surgery Tuesday on his broken left thumb, hoping that the procedure will lead to a quick recovery that could get him back to the Orioles lineup if they make a postseason run.

Markakis, who broke his thumb Saturday and is out for the remainder of the regular season, will fly to Sarasota, Fla., on Monday and undergo the procedure on Tuesday.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter told The Baltimore Sun that the surgery makes a Markakis return possible:

Heading into the day, surgery appeared to be a season-ending option. But Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the doctor that performed Markakis’ right wrist surgery in June reviewed the X-rays and CT scan on the thumb and believed surgery could give Markakis a chance to speed up the recovery.

Markakis said the procedure — which he said would involve placing a T-plate in his thumb — would cut the recovery time by three weeks, allowing him to be ready to return in as soon as four weeks.

“I’m just going to go ahead and get it done and just get it out of the way,” Markakis said. “I’d rather not get cut open again, but if it is for the best, I’m going to go ahead and get it done. Hopefully have a speedy recovery.

Markakis’ thumb broke after he got hit by a C.C. Sabathia pitch in the fifth inning of Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Yankees. Markakis is hitting .298 with 13 homers and 54 RBI this season, and he has an .834 OPS.

Baltimore Orioles leftfielder Nick Markakis left Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning after being hit on his left hand by a C.C. Sabathia fastball.

The Orioles have not released an update on his condition, only confirming that his hand was injured.

Nick Markakis exits the game in the 5th after being hit on the hand. Lew Ford moves to RF and Nate McLouth goes to LF.—
Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 09, 2012

Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com writes that the ball appeared to strike Markakis near his thumb, adding, “The sound made by the HBP was so loud it sounded like the ball was hitting a bat and Markakis didn’t even attempt to talk his way into staying in the game.”

Markakis is hitting .298 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 104 games this season.

UPDATE: Richard Justice of MLB.com has the update on Markakis, and it’s not good:

Nick Markakis broken bone in thumb. Gone around six weeks pending more exam. "We lost a big part," Buck Showalter said.—
Richard Justice (@richardjustice) September 09, 2012

Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis will have surgery on his wrist on Friday. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Baltimore Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis is scheduled to undergo surgery to  remove a broken hamate bone from his right wrist, reports MLB.com.

Markakis faces a recovery time of 2-4 weeks and was believed to be injured during a slide a week ago. He said he felt a tweak in an at-bat on Tuesday.

“If you had told me that was what it was going to be, I would have signed up for it in blood,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “It’s not that bad.”

Markakis is batting .256 with eight homers, 26 RBIs in 50 games this season.

Markakis will likely end up on the disabled list. The Orioles play the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend in St. Petersburg.

It’s a tough road back from a torn abdominal muscle for Nick Markakis, but the Orioles outfielder assured the Baltimore Sun today that he’ll be back by Opening Day.

Markakis said he’s on schedule to complete the seven-week rehab process that follows his Jan. 6 surgery. He’s been working in a swimming pool to strengthen the lower half of his core.

“It’s not being able to do certain things I want to do,” Markakis said. “It seems like a long recovery, but I know it’s going to be over before I know it. Then we’ll be rolling.”

Markakis may be limited for the beginning of spring training, but he said he doesn’t expect to need many game-situation at-bats to get ready for the regular season.