Bartel has been struggling with tonsillitis during much of the pre-season, although he was an impressive performer in the Cats' victories over North Melbourne and the Bulldogs in round one of the NAB Cup.
"I think you try and get over these things for a while because you get sick then it goes away and then you get sick again," Geelong assistant coach Blake Caracella told a press conference at Skilled Stadium.
"Jimmy's decided now that enough's enough, so he's getting it done. He'll get to play another game in round four of the NAB Cup and he'll be right for round one [of the home and away season]."
The 2007 Brownlow Medallist isn't the only big-name Geelong player who will miss Saturday night's NAB Cup quarter-final against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.
James Podsiadly has been ruled out due to a broken hand, while Cameron Ling is struggling to overcome a hamstring problem and Paul Chapman is battling a calf strain.
Full-back Matthew Scarlett and midfielder Joel Corey are also going to sit out another week, while Travis Varcoe is concentrating on regaining fitness after off-season shoulder surgery.
The previous meeting between Geelong and St Kilda was in last year's qualifying final. On that night, Ling looked to have grabbed a remarkable win for his team, but his goal was ruled out when an umpire paid a free kick to the Saints.
This time the Cats, who will meet St Kilda again in the opening round of the home and away season, are expecting their rivals to experiment with a more attacking game plan.
"They've spoken about being a bit more attacking," Caracella said. "It's hard to say whether they've done that after one weekend of footy, and they've got a few young lads playing as well.
"We'll be watching them closely this week and in the lead-up to round one."
