Lance Berkman Could Return To the Active Roster As Early As Saturday

• 11 months ago
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Lance Berkman Injury Update: Cardinals 1B Will Skip Rehab Assignment, Could Be Activated This Weekend

Lance Berkman has convinced the Cardinals that he does not need to make any rehab starts in the minor leagues, and he's traveling with the team to Cincinnati this weekend. According to Mike Matheny, Berkman could be activated from the DL during this road trip:

Manager Mike Matheny said that it's likely Berkman will be activated during the six-game road trip that the Cardinals have to start the second half of the season.

"We'd like it to go that way," he said. "There are things we need to see baseball-wise."

Related: on the care and feeding of top prospects: managing expectations

Berkman, who is recovering from a torn meniscus, says his knee is no longer the problem; he just needs to work on the timing of his swing.

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• 12 months ago
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Lance Berkman Injury Update: Cardinals Slugger Slated For Rehab Starts In Minors

The St. Louis Cardinals have been playing solid baseball in July as they approach the All-Star break, but they are still waiting on the return of slugger Lance Berkman. He is recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus suffered back in May, and now it appears Berkman needs a couple rehab starts in the minor leagues before he will return to the team. Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently spoke with manager Mike Matheny about Berkman's recovery, and Matheny noted that the plan is to give him several rehab starts:

Matheny said that Berkman, recovering from right knee surgery, has been running well in his pre-game drills. Asked if he thought Berkman would need a couple of rehabilitation games in the minors, Matheny said, "Yes."

Asked if the veteran Berkman was on board with that, Matheny also said, "Yes."

Berkman posted a .333/.429/.571 over 48 plate appearances before suffering his knee injury.

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• 12 months ago
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Lance Berkman Injury Update: Berkman Expects To Be Back Shortly After All-Star Break

The St. Louis Cardinals have been without first baseman Lance Berkman since May 19, when he tore his meniscus in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But that could soon change, as Berkman is reportedly readying himself to return to the team shortly after the All-Star break. Berkman also believes that he won't have to a rehab assignment, but St. Louis' front office may disagree with him on that.

Joe Strauss: Berkman thinks he's going to be back shortly after the All-Star Break and doesn't think he'll need a rehab stint.

- Tim McKernan (@tmckernan) July 2, 2012

Berkman was hitting .333/.429/.571 prior to his injury, albeit in only 48 plate appearances. His injury coincided with a swoon by St. Louis that eventually saw them fall under .500, and most everyone would likely like to see Berkman back sooner rather than later.

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• about 1 year ago
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Lance Berkman ACL Watch Is Over, Cardinals 1B Out 8-10 Weeks After Successful Surgery To Repair Torn Meniscus

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Lance Berkman is now on an eight-to-ten-week rehab schedule after successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Friday morning in Houston, Texas. Berkman was injured back on May 12 when he needed to be helped off the field following a seemingly routine play in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Berkman had expressed concern about his ACL after the injury, but if the surgeon had found an ACL tear it would have put Berkman on the shelf for the remainder of the season and perhaps would have had cut his career short. Instead, he is an estimated 8-10 weeks away from hitting the field again, which creates a strong implication that there was no significant ACL damage. This is good news for the injury-ravaged (but still successful) Cardinals.

Lance Berkman underwent right knee surgery today; initial projection for his rehabilitation and recovery is approximately 8-10 weeks.

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 25, 2012

Before the injury, Berkman was hitting .333/.429/.571 with five doubles, a triple, and a home run in 49 plate appearances over 13 games.

For more on Lance Berkman's injuries, follow along on our storystream.

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• about 1 year ago
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Lance Berkman's Surgery Postponed Until Friday Due To Conflict In Surgeon's Schedule

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Lance Berkman was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Thursday, but a conflict in the surgeon's schedule will delay the procedure until Friday, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The surgery had been set for Thursday morning in Houston, Texas, and now it will be delayed until Friday, May 25.

Lance Berkman's right knee surgery, scheduled for this morning, is postponed until the 25th due to a conflict in the surgeon's schedule.

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 24, 2012

Berkman had expressed concern about his ACL earlier in the week despite fairly good news on his MRI, but if the surgeon doesn't find any damage to the ACL the slugger could be back in six-to-eight weeks. For more on Lance Berkman's injury troubles, follow along on our storystream.

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• about 1 year ago
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Lance Berkman Injury: Knee Surgery Set For Thursday Morning

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Thursday morning at 7 a.m. in Houston, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The surgery begins a process that could hopefully have Berkman returning to the playing field within a few months.

When Berkman went down on May 19, there was concern that the first baseman had torn the ACL in his right knee, which would require major surgery. Such a severe injury would have costed Berkman all of the 2012 season, and the player even suggested that he'd be willing to consider retirement if the MRI results were bad enough.

Obviously, the results that came back from the MRI weren't remotely as grave as had originally been thought, leaving some hope that Berkman could ultimately return within 6-to-8 weeks. After learning the MRI results, Berkman commented that he was still concerned with his ACL, but doctors appear to believe the ligament is alright.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. Visit Viva El Birdos for more in-depth coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals. For more from around Major League Baseball, head over to Baseball Nation.

• about 1 year ago
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Lance Berkman Injury: Cardinals 1B Has Torn Meniscus; No ACL Tear Found Monday

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman has a torn meniscus but tests did not find a torn ACL, according to general manager John Mozeliak. Berkman plans to get a second opinion, but if the meniscus tear is the worst of it, he could return to the field this season.

Mozeliak says Berkman has meniscus tear. Getting a second opinion later in the week. No ACL tear found today. Possibly only 6-8 weeks now.

— B.J. Rains (@BJRains) May 21, 2012

Related: Lance Berkman Talks Retirement After Possible ACL Injury

That is potentially very good news -- under the circumstances -- for Berkman, who has admitted that an ACL tear could mean the end of his career.

Berkman has hit .333/.429/.571 in 13 games for the Cardinals in 2012.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. Visit Viva El Birdos for more in-depth coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals. For more from around Major League Baseball, head over to Baseball Nation.

• about 1 year ago
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Lance Berkman Injury: Cardinals 1B Placed On Disabled List

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman has been placed on the 15-day disabled list after injuring himself on Saturday night, as the team announced on Sunday. The Cards also announced that prospect Matt Adams has had his contract purchased from Triple-A Memphis to replace Berkman on the active roster.

The team says that Berkman is sitting out with a right knee injury. In Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Berkman appeared to injure the knee while making a routine defensive play, eventually needing help to walk off the field.

Back in 2005, he had surgery on the ACL in his right knee, although he told reporters he doesn't think he re-injured the ligament. Limited by injuries this season, the 36-year-old has appeared in just 13 games so far this season. Over 42 plate appearances, he's hit .333/.429/.571 with five doubles, one triple and one home run.

Adams, 23, has hit .340 with ten doubles and nine homers over 37 games with Memphis this season. A former 23rd-round pick back in 2009, he's considered one of the best prospects in the game at his position.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. Visit Viva El Birdos for more in-depth coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals.

• about 1 year ago
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Lance Berkman Injury: Berkman Helped Off Field, Status Unknown

An impending sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers is currently the least of the St. Louis Cardinals' problems. The top priority has now turned to the health of first basemen Lance Berkman, who was helped off the field on Saturday night after a routine play in which he caught a throw from shortstop Rafael Furcal to retire Dodgers shortstop Justin Sellers. After falling to the ground, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny and a trainer rushed to Berkman's side. Berkman then tried to walk off the field, but was unable to and was helped off by the two men.

The severity of Berkman's injury is still unknown, though the Cardinals announced that he had injured his right knee. According to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, Berkman will undergo an MRI in St. Louis on Monday. Langosch also reported that Berkman, who had surgery on his right ACL in 2005, does not believe he injured his ACL on Saturday night.

No specific diagnosis yet on Berkman's knee injury, though he doesn't believe it to be an ACL issue. Will know more after MRI in StL on Mon.

— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) May 20, 2012

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. Visit Viva El Birdos for more in-depth coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals and True Blue LA for more on the Dodgers.