Cards' OF Ankiel scratched again

May 18, 2008 - 9:37 PM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel was kept out of the starting lineup for the second straight day Sunday with a right shoulder strain.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have resisted putting Ankiel on the disabled list. He has not played since going 0-for-4 in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

"We felt it was worth keeping him active rather than disabling him (for 15 days)," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa told the newspaper. "The doctor said, 'Let's be patient.' There's not the need to disable him."

La Russa said that because the problem is in Ankiel's non-throwing shoulder, he might be able to play in the field but cannot bat until the soreness subsides. Ankiel hurt his shoulder in his last at-bat on Friday.

"He can't swing 100 percent when it's aggravated, so we're going to try to get him well," La Russa said.