Josh Hamilton has sports hernia surgery

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton had successful surgery Friday to repair a sports hernia.

The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia, a day after Hamilton was examined there and the hernia was confirmed by an MRI.

The Rangers say Hamilton is scheduled to return to Texas on Saturday and that the slugger is expected to be fully recovered for the start of spring training in February.

Meyers also performed surgery on Hamilton in 2009 for a partial tear of a right abdominal muscle.

Hamilton was limited in the playoffs for the AL champions, but hit .271 with one homer and 13 RBIs without missing a game.

The 2010 AL MVP hit .298 with 25 homers and 94 RBIs in 121 regular-season games.