PHILADELPHIA -- Dodgers infielder Tony Abreu underwent surgery on Wednesday for a torn abdominal muscle and is expected to be healed in time for the start of Spring Training.

Dr. William Meyers, a specialist in sports hernia injuries, performed the surgery. Abreu was to remain hospitalized overnight and return to Los Angeles on Thursday. Recovery time is expected to be six to eight weeks.

Meyers is the director of surgery at Drexel University's College of Medicine and is a liver specialist who has developed minimally invasive procedures to repair groin and abdominal injuries in athletes.

Abreu is considered the heir apparent to Jeff Kent at second base, and he also started games this season at third base and shortstop. He finished the season batting .271 with two homers, 17 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 166 at-bats. He was a standout for Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .355 in 54 games after being voted the top rookie in Spring Training.

The injury not only sidelined Abreu for much of the second half of the season, but it led the Players Association to file a grievance against the Dodgers, seeking the difference in Abreu's Major League salary and Minor League salary from July 18, when he was optioned to Las Vegas, until Sept. 2, when he was recalled.