ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals activated All-Star infielder Matt Carpenter from the 15-day disabled list before their game against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
Carpenter, who is batting .298 with a .988 OPS, has been on the 15-day disabled list since July 7 because of a strained muscle in his right rib cage area. The Cardinals managed to go 14-11 in Carpenter's absence, in part due to the increased production from bench players such as Jedd Gyorko, who slugged .648 with eight home runs in 20 games while Carpenter was gone.
"We've had some different players step in and do a nice job and just keep playing the game," manager Mike Matheny said. "We want all of our guys back. We're excited to have Carp back."
Carpenter feels the same and hopes to make a difference for a team battling to make the postseason.
"We're in the dog days of August, and I feel like I'm coming out of spring training," Carpenter said. "That's the positive to look at."
The Cardinals had Carpenter play both second and third base while on a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield, where he batted .333 with a double and a home run in four games.
The idea is to maintain some flexibility so they can adjust their lineups, depending on who is swinging a hotter bat, Gyorko or second baseman Kolten Wong.
The team optioned left-handed reliever Dean Kiekhefer to Triple-A Memphis to make room for Carpenter on the 25-man roster.
