Lance Berkman injury: Cardinals slugger still hasn't started swinging

The MLB playoffs are quickly approaching, and the St. Louis Cardinals are in the driver's seat for the second and final Wild Card spot in the National League. If they do make it into the playoffs as expected, it looks like they'll officially be doing so without the help of Lance Berkman. The 36-year-old slugger has missed tons of time for the Cardinals this year, but had hinted that a return could be in the books for late in the season if he was able to get himself back into playing form.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look likely that he'll be able to make it back by the Oct. 3 season finale for the Cards, much less the playoffs. He is still under the supervision of a physical therapist and may require a second knee operation before the season is over. In fact, he still has yet to even swing a bat since being sidelined.

Retirement was hinted at by Berkman earlier in the season, including a possible move back to his old college, Rice University. That's starting to look more and more likely with each setback the veteran endures.