Shortly after signing his four-year, $44-million contract on December 3, new Atlanta Braves right fielder Nick Markakis made it publicly known that he needed surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. He had the surgery performed on Wednesday, December 17, and -- as MLB.com's Mark Bowman reported afterward -- he expects to fully recover in time to begin Spring Training on schedule in February.

Nick Markakis underwent fusion surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck today. He's expected to resume baseball activities before ST.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) December 17, 2014

In his Wednesday report, Bowman reminds us that the Braves had already expected Markakis to have the surgery performed even before they signed him. However, they also knew that Markakis would recover quickly. Bowman quoted Braves president of baseball operations John Hart discussing the surgery and his expectations for his new right fielder. Said Hart,

"We talked to Steve Wray after the surgery and he said... [the procedure] really went well, and he thinks that this guy will be ready to go full go in Spring Training. The only thing is that there will be a little bit of a disruption for his normal routine getting ready for Spring Training."

Markakis earned his new contract with nine very solid years with the Baltimore Orioles. Markakis averaged 152 games, a .290/.358/.435 slash line, 16 HR, 73 RBI, .793 OPS, and 2.8 WAR. His only significant injuries occurred in 2012 when he missed a total of 58 games from right wrist and left thumb surgeries. He bounced back to play in 160 games and 155 games, respectively, in the next two seasons. Even with the neck discomfort for all of 2014, he managed to hit .276/.342/.386 with 14 HR and 50 RBI. 

Bowman says that Markakis will receive clearance to resume full workouts in January, and he will need approximately six weeks to become "fully agile." That time frame brings Markakis into mid-February, when Spring Training begins. 

The signing of Markakis became very significant after the Braves traded right fielder Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals on November 17 as part of a four-player deal. The Braves received pitcher Shelby Miller in return. Minor-Leaguers Tyrell Jenkins and Jordan Walden also switched teams in the deal.