Mariners rumors: Robinson Cano undergoes surgery for sports hernia

Robinson Cano underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia on Tuesday, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com and is expected to be fully recovered in about six weeks, meaning that he will have no trouble being ready for the start of Spring Training. The surgery was performed to repair both a right- and left-side core muscle injury. The injury was first thought to be a strained abdominal muscle in August and September, but tests in the last week of the season revealed it to be a more serious core muscle tear to both Cano's right and left sides.

Despite the injury, Cano was able to finish the year strong by hitting .330 with 17 homers and 55 RBI's in his final 82 games of the season. While his overall stats, a .287 batting average, 21 home runs and 79 RBI's in 156 games, were significantly down from 2014, the Mariners have to view his performance in the second half as an encouraging sign that he will bounce back.

Last winter, Cano played some games with the Dominican Winter League to keep himself fresh. This year, because of the injury and the surgery, he will sit out.

The Mariners are in an interesting phase this winter. They have replaced their general manager, bringing in former Angels Gm Jerry Dipoto to take over and are searching for a new manager to replace the fired Lloyd McClendon. They have a veteran core of Cano, Nelson Cruz, Felix Hernandez and Kyle Seager to build this team around, but have had just one winning season in their last six and are coming off an incredibly disappointing 86 loss campaign, so they could choose to do some sort of reset. Whatever they do, Cano figures to be at the center of it all and his health is crucial to their success next year and beyond.