The oldest player in the competition has struggled through the last two weeks, suffering a glute injury in the round five clash with North Melbourne, then a flare-up of hamstring tendinitis in Sunday's clash with the Sydney Swans.
In a statement on Tuesday the club said the injury was sustained in the first quarter against the Swans.
"Matthew underwent a scan last week following our game against North Melbourne and it showed some mild tendinitis of his left hamstring tendon. There was no sign of any tear," Tigers football manager Craig Cameron said.
"His recovery time could take anywhere between 8-12 weeks but we won’t really know until after the operation.
"While this is a disappointing setback for Matthew and the club he has a great track record coming back from injury and we are confident he will play again this season."
The 34-year-old finished third in last year's Brownlow Medal despite struggling through the end of the season with the knee injury.
Richardson has played 282 games for the Tigers, winning the Jack Dyer Medal in 2007 and leading the goalkicking 13 times.
