San Diego Padres second baseman Mark Loretta underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. He was put on the 15-day disabled list and is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks. Loretta injured the thumb sliding into first base on May 17 against the Braves. Loretta, who was selected to his first All-Star Game last season, appeared in the first 40 games for the Padres this season. He is hitting .300 with six stolen bases, five doubles, one triple and 13 RBI. "Any time you lose a player the caliber of a Mark Loretta, it's a big blow," said Padres general manager Kevin Towers. "However we are encouraged that Mark did not need to have a full reconstruction of the thumb and that he will make a full recovery to be back on the field before too long." In 2004, he established new career highs for batting average (.335), hits (208), doubles (47), home runs (16), RBI (76), runs scored (108), on-base percentage (.391) and slugging percentage (.495). The Padres replaced Loretta's roster spot by recalling pitcher Brian Falkenborg from Triple-A Portland. He made three relief appearances for the Padres this season, going 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA before being optioned back to Portland on May 18.