Agent Gregg Clifton said Tuesday morning that Kris Benson is "absolutely" leaning toward shoulder surgery and that his client was to spend the morning attempting to finalize an appointment for a third opinion with Dr. James Andrews, a renowned orthopedic surgeon who has operated on Benson in the past. The news of Benson's injury -- diagnosed as a partially torn rotator cuff -- first surfaced Monday afternoon in a report by FOXSports.com. There was some initial confusion over whether the pitcher's first two diagnoses aligned with each other, but Clifton said that Baltimore's team doctors and an independent physician both found a tear. Benson saw Dr. David Altchek, the Mets' team physician, late last week. "The diagnosis was very clear from Dr. Altchek's opinion. It's clear that he needs surgery," Clifton said. "Both doctors said there's a tear, and once you have a tear, it's dependent on where the tear is and how severe it is."