Lance Berkman will lose two to four weeks due to minor knee surgery.

The 34-year-old injured his knee during a baserunning drill at spring training on March 1. Tests showed that Berkman bruised his knee, and he played five games after skipping the Astros’ spring training opener.

Berkman’s knee continued to swell, and Dr. David Lintner, the team physician, decided on Friday that the five-time All-Star slugger should have arthroscopic surgery.

Astros general manager Ed Wade said the team is confident the injury won’t be a lingering problem.

“We certainly don’t encourage players to have surgery, but if this is an easy fix, it removes the uncertainty that it could occur again,” Wade said. “We think that once it gets addressed, that it’s a dead issue and we won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

It’s better to lose a week of Berkman’s big bat than have his knee turn into a chronic problem that forces him to miss large chunks of the season.