St. Louis, MO -- (Sports Network) - St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols underwent surgery on his right elbow earlier Monday in a procedure that included decompression and transposition of the ulnar nerve.

The surgery was performed by Cardinals team physician Dr. George Paletta, and Pujols will begin his rehabilitation this week. He is expected to make his recovery by Spring Training.

Pujols is in contention for the National League MVP after a 2008 season in which he batted .357 with 37 home runs, 116 runs batted in, a .462 on-base percentage, and 104 walks -- 34 intentional -- to just 54 strikeouts.