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FORT LAUDERDALE -- Orioles right-hander Kris Benson will likely miss the 2007 season with a partially torn rotator cuff, according to reports by FOXSports.com and The Associated Press.
A recent MRI exam revealed the tear, Benson's agent, Gregg Clifton, told AP on Monday. The injury will require surgery, but it has not yet been scheduled.

"We'd like to get it done as soon as possible so we can start the recovery process," Clifton told AP.

FOXSports.com, which attributed the report to an unnamed source, said that the injury apparently occurred when Benson began throwing during offseason workouts.

Orioles executive vice president Jim Duquette did not immediately return a phone call, AP reported.

Benson was expected to anchor a deep rotation that also includes left-handers Erik Bedard and Adam Loewen, along with right-handers Daniel Cabrera and Jaret Wright.

Benson was 11-12 with a 4.82 ERA in 2006, but he missed time with tendinitis in his pitching elbow.

Though rotator cuff injuries typically require eight months to a year of rehabilitation, Clifton did not rule out the possibility of Benson pitching in 2007.

"No one can accurately predict the duration of recovery. I'm not a doctor," Clifton told AP. "It's not what I think or what Kris thinks. It's what the doctors think."

Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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