St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman (that phrase still sounds odd, since no one but Albert Pujols had manned that position for the last decade) didn't play in his team's weekend series against the Cubs due to a lingering calf injury. He and the team felt rest would get Berkman back in playing shape.
Lance Berkman Aggravates Calf Injury, Could Head To DL
Lance Berkman aggravated a calf injury pursuing a foul pop-up on Wednesday night. Now, the team must decide whether a DL stint is necessary.
Berkman returned to the lineup on Tuesday and played all 10 innings of the Cardinals' win over the Reds that night. Wednesday, though, brought a different story. Jennifer Langosch:
“I think the DL is a possibility, for sure,” said Berkman, who reinjured his leg while trying to lunge for a fifth-inning popup in right-field foul territory.
Berkman took a bad step during his pursuit, and the ball fell foul. He finished the inning in the field, but was pinch-hit for in the bottom half of the frame.
“I’m not saying they need to throw me on [the DL] immediately,” Berkman said. “But we waited a week, essentially, and it has kind of reared up again. The bottom line is that whatever you do, you want to make sure that once you do it that it is behind you, so it’s not something that you have to battle all year.”
The Cardinals and Reds play a getaway afternoon game on Thursday, and Berkman is currently listed as "day-to-day", so it's possible he'll sit while management decides what to do. Matt Carpenter played first base (and was quite productive) during Berkman's weekend absence, and could fill in again. If Berkman does head to the DL, the team could call up power-hitting prospect Matt Adams, currently hitting .389 at Triple-A Memphis.
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