Three weeks into a scheduled four-week rehabilitation program, Orioles pitcher Kris Benson has chosen to have season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn right rotator cuff. Benson met with Orioles vice president Jim Duquette on Tuesday morning and was later given approval to have the surgery after he conferred with team doctors. He left the team to return home to Atlanta and is expected to have the surgery early next week. It will likely be performed by Dr. David Altchek, the New York Mets team medical director. "Kris had tried everything to avoid this day," Gregg Clifton, Benson's agent, said last night. "However, despite his best efforts, the consensus among doctors and training staff is that surgery is the best alternative to allow him to perform at the level that he is accustomed to performing at."