MIAMI -- Now that Ryan Klesko has taken a necessary first step to get his power back by submitting to surgery on his balky left shoulder, the veteran first baseman will commence the substantial rehabilitative process in about 10 days, according to Padres trainer Tom Hutcheson.

The medics want to give Klesko, 34, that long for his "surgical holes" to heal, Hutcheson said. Klesko will keep the shoulder iced to help complete that stage.

Then Hutcheson plans for Klesko to begin minimal range of motion exercises. Still, it will be four to six weeks before Klesko can do much more, because the Padres want to keep the shoulder's joint as, "calm as we can," Hutcheson said.

There will also be scar tissue to overcome. Klesko is expected to be able to return by the All-Star break. Yet the most optimistic estimate has him returning within two months.

The surgery on his AC joint was performed on Monday by Padres team physicians Dr. Jan Fronek and Dr. Heinz Hoenecke at the Scripps Clinic.

"That was major surgery he had," manager Bruce Bochy said on Tuesday. "Once he gets into rehab, we'll be able to give a better estimate [on his return]."

Bochy has watched Klesko's power markedly decline from a peak of 34 home runs in 1996 with the Atlanta Braves to totals of nine and 18 the last two seasons with the Padres.

"The shoulder's bothered him for some time," Bochy said. "It's hard enough to play this game when you're healthy, much less when you're not 100 percent."

Bochy visits mother: The manager spent his off-day on Monday driving to Melbourne, Fla., about 2 1/2 hours north of the team hotel, to see his mother, who has Alzheimer's Disease.

She lives with Bochy's sister Terry, who has tended to their mother since she developed Alzheimer's 13 years ago.

Said Bochy of his sister: "I'm going to try to ride her coattails in heaven. She has taken care of her from the start and has felt it a privilege to do it."

It was an emotional visit, to be sure, punctuated by an overriding sadness that his mother likely didn't recognize him.

Bochy has other memories from Melbourne as well. He went to high school there and later signed with the Houston Astros as a catcher in 1975 when he played at nearby Brevard Community College.

Cameron waits and hopes: Center fielder Mike Cameron acknowledged that he still feels some pain in his strained left oblique that put him on the disabled list effective March 31.

"I'm healing," he said. "My body will let me know when I'm healthy. I could wake up tomorrow and all my pain will be gone. There's still some time until the 14th [when he can be activated], so I'm hoping I'll be back soon."

Bochy isn't holding his breath. He said it could be a month to six weeks before Cameron's return.

Cameron, who was traded from the New York Mets, said he understands that he has a "great opportunity" with the Padres, which makes this injury pause all the more frustrating.

Problems persist for Brocail: Veteran reliever Doug Brocail has received another setback in his battle with heart problems. Brocail, who signed with the Padres as a free agent in December, had to have another stent inserted in an artery after he felt enough discomfort on Sunday to go in for additional testing.

The first stent was put in before the regular season, when an angiogram showed that Brocail, 38, had 99 percent blockage in an artery.

"He's basically back to where he started," said a distraught Bochy, who got the news about an hour after the club had broken a four-game losing streak.

Brocail, who pitched for the Padres during parts of three seasons in the early 1990s, has a 37-40 record and 4.06 ERA in 442 Major League games.

Last series hangover: Bochy was still shaking his head on Tuesday over the sudden transformation of the Colorado Rockies from opening series weaklings to terrors against the Padres in an unexpected three-game sweep.

"When you look at their averages coming in and when they left, what a difference," he said.

In scoring 32 runs against the Padres, Colorado hit 12 doubles, eight home runs, four triples and had a .719 slugging percentage.

Bochy said to Marlins TV broadcaster Tommy Hutton about Florida's youth-studded lineup: "I had to learn my club this spring, and now I've got to learn yours."

Coming up: Right-hander Chris Young, who lost his debut as a Padre, will face Marlins right-hander Brian Moehler in the second game of the three-game series on Wednesday at 10:05 a.m. PT at Dolphins Stadium. Young lasted 5 1/3 innings and yielded four runs against Colorado in his last start.