Center fielder Rick Ankiel's next Baseball activity will be at the Cardinals' spring training base in Jupiter, Fla., but it won't be for a while.
Ankiel, who crashed into the left-center-field wall on Monday night after making a spectacular catch, still is banged up and unable to play, so he was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday and sent back to Jupiter, where he lives. Outfielder Shane Robinson, 24, was added to the 40-man roster and brought up from Class AAA Memphis, where he was hitting .345. Originally, it had been thought that Ankiel might be out only a few days but manager Tony La Russa said, "He's still got so much soreness that they're figuring it's going to be a week or 10 days before that soreness is gone and before he can even start working out."
The bruises on Ankiel's right shoulder probably are the most severe of his injuries, but La Russa said, "He's got sore spots all over. You start to think about the pressure he would feel if we needed him to hit or run or whatever. We're playing short. Let's wait till we get him 100 percent healthy."
Robinson, who grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, was summoned instead of Joe Mather because Mather has been struggling to get his average over .200 at Memphis.
"Joe still hasn't got his bat going," La Russa said, adding, that Robinson "will start some games with us. He has a lot of value. His exposure in spring training was a positive one. We got an eyeful of what he can do. Then you see (how) successful he was down there, He's got the kind of stroke that gets your attention. He can put a charge into a ball."
Robinson admitted he was quite nervous Thursday when he came to the plate.
"I think 'extremely fueled' would be a way to put it," he said.
Robinson had learned of his promotion via text message from Memphis manager Chris Maloney the previous night while he was watching a movie in Omaha with some of his teammates.
The movie? X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
"I don't even remember the movie at all," Robinson said. "So many emotions. So many phone calls. I didn't sleep too well."
RYAN REROUTED
Injured infielder Brendan Ryan, recovering from a strained hamstring, thought he was going to Class A Quad Cities this weekend to begin his rehabilitation, but he has been deemed not ready to play so he accompanied the team to Cincinnati and then will go to Memphis next week to start his rehab.
"I can't go at (the speed) I want to go at," said Ryan, a high-energy sort. "I've had one of these before and you know you shouldn't push it until you can because a hamstring can be five to six weeks in a heartbeat."
La Russa said, "That's crazy to send him out there to play under control ... because that's not happening."
ET CETERA
Righthander Ryan Franklin's ninth save to start the season is the best start by a Cardinals closer since Jason Isringhausen opened 2005 with 16 straight saves. ... Albert Pujols extended his streak - painfully - of consecutive games reaching base when he was drilled by a pitch in the fifth inning. ... The Cardinals' 19-10 start is their best since 1982 (also 19-10) - a team that went on to win the World Series.
