Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Hampton will miss the rest of this season and the 2006 season after a second opinion on his elbow revealed ligament damage that will require reconstructive surgery. The 32-year-old lefthander will have the ligament transfer procedure, commonly known as "Tommy John surgery", within the next two weeks. Dr. Dave Altchek, a New York orthopedist and Mets physician who examined him Thursday, will perform the surgery. "It's something that's tough to swallow and something that needs to be done," Hampton said. "I just know that it's going to be tough to sit out a year and watch. It's going to give me a chance to see if I like retirement or not." The operation is the same one that shelved teammate John Smoltz during the 2000 season. Hampton, who had been sidelined since August 20, was activated from the 15-day disabled list this past Sunday and was expected to be used out of the bullpen as the team prepares for its stretch run. However, Hampton tossed only seven pitches on Monday before the muscle in his forearm tightened up. The veteran has also been plagued by a herniated disc and has been on the DL a total of four times this year. Hampton, who is 5-3 on the year with a 3.50 ERA in 12 starts, has pitched a total of just 10 1/3 innings since the start of June.