Lance Berkman has been a nice addition to the Texas Rangers this season, and (knock on wood, Rangers fans) he's stayed healthy so far a month into the season.
It's pretty likely that manager Ron Washington will do his best to help ensure the 37-year-old's health this week when the Rangers travel to National League parks for three games, meaning the designated hitter won't be available and Berkman would have to play in the field.
Berkman was brought in to be a primary designated hitter and possibly play first base from time to time after playing outfield for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 when he hit .301 with 31 home runs before missing most of the 2012 season after two knee surgeries.
When the Rangers played in Wrigley Field last month, when one game was rained out and will be made up tonight before they head to Milwaukee for a short two-game series, Berkman sat out the entire series.
With him, it's always good to get him a rest from time to time and he's started to struggle a bit as well, making it a seemingly easy decision for Berkman, who's hitting .303 this season with a .441 on-base percentage.
Over his last seven games, Berkman is hitting just .217 but his on-base percentage is still a nice .419 thanks to eight walks and two intentional passes. But just from watching Berkman, you can see a little break might be welcomed and now is as good a time as ever to give it to him with Mitch Moreland on a tear and making it a lot easier to not play Berkman at first base.
