Not long ago, we heard news that Grady Sizemore had strained his back. Eyes rolled - "well of course Sizemore is hurt again" - but a back strain didn't seem like too big of a deal, even if it put opening day availability in doubt.

Well let's just say that matters have escalated. Back strain? Forget about back strains. Sizemore just underwent back surgery, and he's going to miss a lot of time. Paul Hoynes:

The surgery was called minimally invasive and it should take him eight to 12 weeks to recover. Dr. Barth Green of the University of Miami School Medicine performed the operation.

The surgery is called a micro discectomy.

Sizemore hurt himself fielding groundballs in practice weeks ago. He underwent tests on his back, and they led to this procedure. Notes Will Carroll:

What Grady Sizemore had done on his lower back is what Peyton Manning had done on his neck, twice, before the serious surgery.

— Will Carroll (@injuryexpert) March 1, 2012

I don't follow football so I don't know exactly what that means, but it doesn't sound very good. If Manning wound up in bad shape, let's hope that Sizemore comes away in better shape.

With a strained back, Sizemore was going to miss weeks. Now we're dealing with months. We can't say exactly how many months, since everybody's body is different, but Grady Sizemore won't play in an Indians uniform for a while, even if everything goes right. Which it might not.

Michael Brantley is presumably going to cover for Sizemore in center, and he'll also lead off. Notes Hoynes:

To guard against Sizemore breaking down again, GM Chris Antonetti loaded his spring-training roster with outfielders. There are 12 outfielders in camp not counting Sizemore.