Pujols undergoes elbow surgery

St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to have bone chips and trim bone spurs removed.

Dr. James Andrews performed the operation Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala. He said Pujols would not require ligament reconstruction.

The first baseman has been playing with a partially torn ligament since 2003, and reconstructive surgery would have sidelined him the first few months of next season.

The Cardinals said the 29-year-old Pujols would begin rehabilitation next week in St. Louis and is expected to fully recover. No timetable for his return has been set.

Pujols led the majors with 47 home runs this past season while batting .327 with 135 runs batted in. He didn't homer in his final 89 at-bats after Sept. 9, a drought that manager Tony La Russa attributed to opponents' pitching.