The curse of the Tigers’ back-up catchers continues.
        “It’s beginning to look that way,” said Matt Treanor Monday, forcing a smile, as he contemplated hip surgery in New York later this week, followed by six weeks to three months of arduous rehab.
        Meanwhile, Dane Sardinha will be the Tigers’ back-up catcher, spelling Gerald Laird once a week or so.
        It is a continuation of a trend that began in 2007 when Vance Wilson, who was slated to be Pudge Rodriguez’s back-up, tore a ligament in his elbow during the last week of spring training and underwent Tommy John surgery.
        Wilson hoped to back behind the plate by the middle of the 2007 season. But in the spring of 2008, he was still rehabbing. Midway through the ‘08 season, Wilson had to undergo a second Tommy John surgery. At the end of last season, the Tigers let him go.
        In mid-December, they signed the free agent Treanor, who has a history with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski dating back to 1997.
        Treanor, who spent 10 1/2 season in the minor leagues before he finally reached the big leagues in 2004, owned a .237 career average when he joined the Tigers. However, he failed to get a hit in 13 at-bats this season.
        During spring training, Treanor, who underwent offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia, quietly flew to New York to receive an injection in an attempt to treat what has been diagnosed as a torn labrum in his right hip.
        “I knew about this (injury) for a while and I tried to get around it,” Treanor said.
        “The doctors told me there was a possibility it (the injection) might not take. And it didn’t. I tried everything I could to get through this. It just didn’t happen.”
        Treanor isn’t sure how long he will be sidelined. “It could be six weeks and it could be 12 weeks,” he said, forcing another smile.
        “I definitely want to be back at the end of the season. That’s the goal.”
        Treanor’s one-year $750,000 contract expires at the end of the year.