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Rick Ankiel

6/14/2006

Ankiel will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his left knee on May 26. The pitcher-turned-outfielder injured his patellar tendon at spring training on Feb. 27 and has not played since. The 26-year-old Ankiel was making a comeback and had a chance to make the Cardinals roster.

4/28/2005

Ankiel suffered back problems near the end of spring training, but on Thursday, he was activated by the St. Louis Cardinals' Double-A Springfield affiliate to begin his professional career as an outfielder. The lefthanded Ankiel decided to abandon pitching in March, after years of control and health problems.

At age 25, Ankiel may be a bit of a long shot to develop into a major league hitter, but it will be an interesting experiment to watch. During his days as a major league pitcher, he batted .207 (18-for-87) with a double, triple and two homers. If he reaches the majors, he'll start above the Mendoza line.

4/6/2005

Out of minor league options, Ankiel has been placed on unconditional release waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. If Ankiel is not picked up by another team, the Cardinals have expressed interest in bringing him back into the organization and allowing him to work on learning the outfield positions in the minors. He recently switched from a pitcher after struggling with control problems over the first several years of his pro career.

Filling Ankiel's spot on the 25-man roster will be infielder Abraham Nunez, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. In eight exhibition games this spring, Ankiel was just 2-for-12 with a double and a run scored.

Ankiel, who was placed on unconditional release waivers earlier this week, has cleared waivers and re-signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, agreeing to a minor league contract. He recently switched from pitcher to outfield after struggling with control problems over the first several years of his pro career. In eight exhibition games this spring, Ankiel was just 2-for-12 with a double and a run scored.

Ankiel obviously needs more work in the outfield before getting another shot at the major league level. He is expected to work out at extended spring training for a few more days before reporting to Double-A Springfield.