Braves closer Rafael Soriano’s problematic season ended with elbow surgery Thursday in Birmingham. General manager Frank Wren said the pitcher should make a full recovery in time for spring training.

Dr. James Andrews performed nerve-transposition surgery, moving the ulnar collateral nerve in front of the ball on the inner elbow so the nerve will no longer become inflamed from passing over the bony bump. Andrews also removed a small bone spur from the elbow.

The good news for Soriano and the Braves was the condition of the ulnar collateral ligament: stable, according to Andrews. That meant no “Tommy John” ligament-transplant surgery was required, just as Andrews and Braves doctors had suspected when three MRI exams in the past eight months showed no tears in the ligament.

The “clean” MRIs only made the recurring soreness all the more frustrating for Soriano, who spent countless hours in rehab and strengthening exercises this season trying to get his elbow healthy. Each time he came back, the soreness returned.

He posted a 2.57 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings this season in his 14 appearances among three stints on the disabled list.

The right-hander signed a two-year, $9.0 million contract in January. Soriano’s salary will jump from $2.4 million to $6.1 million next season in what would have been his first year of free agency.

Before he signed the contract in January, the team flew him from his home in the Dominican Republic to Atlanta in January for a physical and MRI of his elbow.

That exam showed no structural damage, but Soriano’s pain began soon after he started throwing in spring training.

The Braves got him from Seattle in a December 2006 trade for pitcher Horacio Ramirez. As a setup man and backup closer in 2007, Soriano had a 3.00 ERA with career-highs of 72 strikeouts, 71 games and 70 innings, and nine saves.

The 28-year-old Dominican had “Tommy John” surgery in August 2004 and missed most of the 2005 season with Seattle.

Anderson wants to make impression

Josh Anderson is approaching the final five weeks of the season like it’s an audition for the center-field job on the 2009 Braves. And it just might be.

“For guys like me — I’ve had some time [in the majors] but not a lot — spring training and opportunities up here are always a time to showcase what you can do,” said Anderson, who was recalled from Class AAA Richmond after the Braves traded veteran center fielder Mark Kotsay to Boston on Wednesday.

Anderson, who hit .314 with 33 extra-base hits and 42 stolen bases in 121 games at Richmond, started in center Thursday against the Marlins.

He walked in the first inning, had an RBI single for a 1-0 lead in the second , and walked and stole second base in his third plate appearance in the fifth.

The 25-year-old former Astros prospect made the International League All-Star team and had a 28-game hitting streak at Richmond. Anderson worked with minor-league hitting coordinator Leon Roberts on technique to use his quick wrists to drive the ball better, and Wren said Anderson progressed in July and August.

The GM said Anderson could compete for the center-field job next season with Gregor Blanco and top prospect Jordan Schafer.

Anderson hit .358 in 67 at-bats with Houston in September, and was 7-for-22 (.318) in a brief stint with the Braves in early June. Some in the clubhouse privately questioned the decision to send him back to Richmond in June.

“Show them you’re ready and capable and willing to do whatever it takes,” Anderson said of his approach in this late-season call-up. “All you can ask for is an opportunity, and if it’s there, take advantage.”