Javier Vazquez injury: Knee surgery scheduled Wednesday

A minor hiccup in right-hander Javier Vazquez's possible comeback has come about, as the veteran will undergo knee surgery this week to repair damage to his right meniscus, reports Jim Bowden of ESPN:

Javier Vazquez is getting right menisus repaired on Wed by Dr. Kaplan, Marlins team ortho..expected to be throwing 100% in 2-3 weeks

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) January 28, 2013

The 36-year-old impressed several clubs during his brief stint in Puerto Rican winter ball, with the Nationals, Red Sox, and White Sox taking the most interest. Vazquez repeatedly hit in the low- to mid-90s with his fastball on the radar gun.

While the surgery seems like a setback from our vantage point, for all we know Vazquez could have had the procedure planned for months and saw this as a necessary hurdle between winter ball and the World Baseball Classic. The right-hander has a clean medical history -- going to the DL just once in his 14-year career -- so the knee should not be a big concern.

With a recovery time of 2-3 weeks, Vazquez should be ready to go by the time the WBC starts in early March.

The right-hander has yet to commit to returning to Major League Baseball after his one-year hiatus, but he is expected to make a decision at some point during or after the March tournament.