Angels lose another player when Geovany Soto opts for surgery on injured knee

Catcher Geovany Soto is the latest Angel to succumb to an injury. He will have surgery after an MRI exam confirmed a tear in his right meniscus that he first felt while on an elliptical machine Wedneseday afternoon.

Soto was doing routine warmup work, he said, before the ligament grabbed at him and he told Angels trainers what he was feeling. He soon saw a doctor.

“Surgery has been recommended, and that’s the route he’s going to go,” Angels General Manager Billy Eppler said.

Soto is expected to miss four to six weeks following his surgery on Thursday. He had emerged as the Angels’ primary catcher this month, usurping the role from the younger Carlos Perez because of superior hitting. In 17 starts, he had a .283 average, .338 on-base percentage and .483 slugging percentage. Perez is hitting .176/.238/.230 in 22 starts and will now take on more playing time.

“I thought I did everything in my power to stay healthy,” Soto said. “I’m in great shape, I’m working really hard. It’s just one of those things where it’s bad luck.”

The Angels called up Jett Bandy in Soto’s absence. The 26-year-old catcher is scheduled to arrive at Angel Stadium later this evening, perhaps during the Angels’ game against the Dodgers, which is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Bandy’s next plate appearance in the major leagues will be his third.

Ten Angels are now on the major league disabled list, in addition to left-hander Tyler Skaggs, who’s on the minor league DL but was expected to join the team by now.

“It’s part of the game,” Eppler said. “It’s just it. You fight through it.”

Follow Pedro Moura on Twitter: @pedromoura