MLB Injuries: Lance Berkman and 10 Impact Players Nearing Return

It's been a tough year for injuries in Major League Baseball as more impact players than usual have ended up on the disabled list in the early goings. A few of these players have been kept off the field due to unusual circumstances.

Thankfully, we're reaching a point in the season where a lot of players are going to return to action right around the same time. A lot of teams are going to get closer to full strength in the immediate future.

Lance Berkman and the St. Louis Cardinals make for a perfect example. Berkman is working his way back from a calf injury, and he will soon rejoin a Cardinals lineup that ranks among the National League leaders in virtually every major offensive category.

Berkman obviously isn't the only impact player who will be returning to action in the next couple weeks. Here's a rundown of players who are on the comeback trail.

Note: We shall proceed in alphabetical order. 

Lance Berkman, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

Lance Berkman got off to a pretty hot start this season as he was batting .348 on April 18th after going 1-for-2 against the Cincinnati Reds.

He ended up on the 15-day DL a couple days later with a strained left calf, but the latest word is that Berkman will be back in St. Louis' lineup very soon.

According to a report from Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Berkman felt pretty good after doing some running in the outfield on Monday. He could be activated from the DL as soon as Friday when the Cardinals are slated to host the Atlanta Braves.

The Cardinals don't really need Berkman's bat in their lineup now that Allen Craig is back at first base, but the team is going to have a nice problem once he returns. Mike Matheny already has a deep lineup, and it's about to get even deeper.

Health is going to be an issue with this Cardinals team all year long, but they have shown impressive resiliency this season despite their injury woes. They are definitely a team to be feared.

Jorge De La Rosa, SP, Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are in desperate need of starting pitching help. The good news for them is that they will be getting one of their better arms back sometime in the next couple weeks.

Jorge De La Rosa had to undergo Tommy John surgery last June, and the word coming out is that he should be ready to return sometime in early June this year. 

As reported by Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, De La Rosa's most recent rehab outing didn't go very well, but that's to be expected seeing as how he has a lot of rust to shake off. He needs to build up arm strength and get back into a groove. But barring any setbacks, early June is a legit possibility.

The Rockies had better hope that De La Rosa doesn't suffer any setbacks. He is by no means an ace, but he is a guy who will help a rotation that ranks dead last in the National League with a 5.75 ERA.

Stephen Drew, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

It's been a while since we've seen Stephen Drew, as he's been on the shelf ever since fracturing his ankle last July.

Drew's comeback has been slow to develop, but he's getting closer and closer to rejoining the Diamondbacks. The Associated Press reported on May 3rd that Drew had been cleared for a few innings of action in a rehab assignment, and that rehab assignment came to fruition on Tuesday.

According to Craig Grialou of Arizona Sports 620, Drew played in an extended spring training game on Tuesday, and he actually lasted five innings. He went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run scored, which is an encouraging sign.

Drew won't be joining the D-Backs next week or anything like that, but the next step from here is to send him to the minors to get back in the swing of things. If all goes well, his return could come in a couple weeks.

The D-Backs are going with a committee at shortstop this season, so having an everyday answer will be a welcome change.

Brett Gardner, LF, New York Yankees

Speedy left fielder Brett Gardner of the New York Yankees landed on the disabled list on April 18th with a sore right elbow, but there never was any fear that his absence was going to be a long-term thing.

Right now, Gardner's return is a simple matter of him getting some rehab work in down in the minors. That process was supposed to start Monday, but the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate had its game rained out. 

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News noted on Twitter that Gardner's rehab will start on Tuesday and that he could be back in the lineup as early as Thursday.

Gardner was hitting .321 with seven stolen bases at the time he landed on the DL. His return will give an already dangerous Yankees lineup a boost, and the team will be happy to reinsert Gardner's defense in left field.

It's just too bad he can't pitch.

Cliff Lee, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

When we last saw Cliff Lee, he was pitching 10 shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants on April 18th. Just another day at the office for him.

Lee ended up on the disabled list shortly afterward with a left oblique strain. It was nothing serious, but it was definitely surprising seeing as how Lee had looked like a picture of health against the Giants.

According to Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki, Lee is just fine now. He threw a bullpen session a couple days ago and is on track to come off the DL on Wednesday for a start against the New York Mets.

Lee had a 1.96 ERA at the time he went on the DL. The Phillies will be very glad to have their ace back.

I hate to use the same joke twice, but it's just too bad Lee can't hit.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, Boston Red Sox

Daisuke Matsuzaka will be ready to pitch for the Boston Red Sox very soon. No doubt Red Sox Nation has mixed feelings about that reality.

Dice-K had to have Tommy John surgery last year, but he now has a couple minor league outings under his belt this year and the word is that he could rejoin Boston's rotation very soon. Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com thinks that two more will do the trick.

There is one caveat concerning Dice-K's road back to the majors, and it comes courtesy of Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. He reported on Twitter that Dice-K's reconstructed elbow feels better on some days than it does on others.

"My elbow ... some days it feels better than others," said Dice-K. "Right now, I'm hoping when I start, it hits the day I'm feeling good."

Not exactly encouraging, to be sure.

It's unclear how the Red Sox will use Dice-K once he returns, but their starting rotation could definitely use a boost. Sox starters have an ERA of 5.87, and Dice-K may very well take Clay Buchholz's spot unless he turns things around.

Andy Pettitte, SP, New York Yankees

Daisuke Matsuzaka isn't the only AL East starter on the comeback trail. Andy Pettitte tried to quit baseball in 2011, but he got the itch and decided to give pitching one more go this season.

Pettitte's most recent minor league outing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre didn't go so well, but he said afterwards that he feels ready to go according to The Journal News.

The Yankees apparently agreed with his self-evaluation, and Pettitte is now slated to start against the Seattle Mariners this upcoming Sunday.

The Bronx Bombers desperately need rotation help. CC Sabathia has been the team's only reliable starting pitcher this season, and the rotation as a whole sports an ERA well over 5.00.

It will be interesting to see how much gas Pettitte has left in the tank, but asking him to be an upgrade over what the Yankees currently have at the back end of their rotation isn't asking a lot.

UPDATE: As reported by David Waldstein of The New York Times, the Yankees have decided to call Pettitte up for a start on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners.

Carlos Quentin, OF, San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres acquired some much-needed thunder when they traded for Carlos Quentin this offseason, but they have yet to enjoy it. The slugging outfielder started the season on the DL due to surgery on his right knee.

Quentin is rehabbing in the minors, and Corey Brock of MLB.com reported on Twitter on Monday that Quentin thinks he can be back by the time the Padres begin their next road trip in Philadelphia on Friday.

The Padres need a big bat to boost the middle of their lineup. They rank near the bottom of the league in every major offensive category including home runs, which is Quentin's area of expertise.

From 2008-2011, Quentin hit 107 home runs as a member of the Chicago White Sox.

Manny Ramirez, OF/DH, Oakland Athletics

It's nearly time for "Manny Being Manny" to make a triumphant return.

Manny Ramirez is currently serving out a 50-game suspension for a positive PED test that surfaced last season right around the time he abruptly decided to retire from baseball. The A's are 29 games into their 2012 season, so the moment of truth will be here very soon.

Manny will get ready for the big day by doing work down in the minors. As reported by Jim Hawkins of MLB.com, the plan is for Ramirez to go on a 10-game rehab assignment to get some at bats in before rejoining the A's after his suspension ends on May 30th.

Not surprisingly, A's manager Bob Melvin sees Manny as a DH once he returns.

Ramirez had three hits in 18 spring training at bats, but two of those were home runs. He will provide some pop for an A's offense that has virtually none outside of Yoenis Cespedes.

Nolan Reimold, OF, Baltimore Orioles

Nolan Reimold got off to a blistering start this season, but the good vibes died down when he had to be placed on the disabled list with a herniated disk in his neck.

It sounds like Reimold isn't going to be gone for long though. Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun tweeted on Sunday that Reimold is expected to go on a minor league rehab assignment before he returns. 

Via Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, we know that Orioles manager Buck Showalter is expecting Reimold to be ready to roll around May 14th, which means he could very well come off the DL when he's eligible to come off on May 16th.

The O's haven't really missed Reimold so far. Since he went on the DL, they are 5-1 with a series win in New York and a sweep of the Red Sox in Boston.

All the same, the O's will be glad to reinsert Reimold into their lineup, which has been among the best in baseball in the early goings this season.

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