NEW YORK -- Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner had surgery to repair a core muscle near his ribs, the team announced Wednesday.

Brett Gardner, who hit 17 homers with 58 RBIs and 21 steals last season, had surgery on Oct. 16 but should begin his offseason training program next week. Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

The procedure on his right rectus abdominis muscle took place Oct. 16 and has a recovery period of four weeks, meaning Gardner should be fine for his regular offseason program by next week.

Gardner, 31, signed a four-year, $52 million extension before last season. He was arguably the Yankees' best position player in 2014, hitting .256 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs while stealing 21 bases.

"I think that here in the next week or two, I'll be pretty darn close to 100 percent and just be able to go through my normal offseason routine," Gardner said on Sirius XM/MLB Network Radio. "That's one of the reasons we just went ahead and got it done after the season.

"Obviously without making the playoffs, we got a much longer offseason than we would have liked, but it also gives me a little extra time on the front end to kind of get this thing taken care of and not have it be an issue next year."

With Alex Rodriguez in the news again, Gardner said the Yankees will welcome A-Rod back to help them try to win.

"If he is a guy who is going to help us do that, we obviously welcome him," Gardner said. "I know that things will be a little different with the fans, especially at the start, but hopefully as the season goes on it will be business as usual."