PETRON rookie June Mar Fajardo is set to go under the knife on Thursday to ease the swelling and stop the bleeding on his scrotum which was accidentally hit during the Boosters’ game against San Mig Coffee on Sunday night.

The 6-10 slotman is set to undergo the procedure at the Cardinal Santos hospital, where he has been confined since Monday after scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Boosters’ 84-90 loss to the Mixers.

According to Petron coach Olsen Racela, urologists attending to Fajardo said the swelling on the big man’s scrotum has gone down since Monday but not significantly enough to avoid surgery.

“Malungkot ang team, pero ganyan talaga. Injuries are part of a player’s life,” Racela told Spin.ph.

The Cebuano rising star is set to be out of action for as much as four weeks. He can only resume regular physical activity after that long rest, Racela said.

The injury layoff comes at a time when the former University of Cebu star was starting to find his feet in the pro league, having played his finest game as a pro during the loss to the Mixers.

“Iyon ang nakakapang-hinayang,” said Racela.

The Boosters are expected to turn to old reliables Danny Ildefonso and Dorian Pena to fill the huge hole left by Fajardo, who has started in each of his first three games with his new team.

Petron plays Alaska on Friday and sister team Barangay Ginebra on Sunday.