Report: Lance Berkman Not Ready to Return from Disabled List

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman was expected to return from a calf injury on Friday, but general manager Jim Mozeliak told Fox Sports Midwest that Berkman is not ready:

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Per Mozeliak, the #stlcards will not be activating Lance Berkman today.Precautionary.

— FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) May 11, 2012

 

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When the injury first occurred, Matt Carpenter filled in quite well for Berkman at first.

With Allen Craig now off the disabled list, he has taken over.

He's currently hitting .333 with three home runs in seven games since coming back from offseason knee surgery.

The Cardinals haven't missed a beat since Berkman went down, as they are currently 20-11 entering Friday night's action, but adding the veteran back to the lineup would certainly be a boost.

He hasn't played since April 10, but he was off to a hot start before injuring his calf.

He had put together a .348/.500/.522 with two doubles, two RBI and six runs scored in seven games prior to be being placed on the DL on April 18.

The Cardinals are winning, so they're in no rush to bring him back before he's ready.

There's no denying the fact that a healthy Berkman will be a huge addition to the lineup, though.