After weeks of rehab and more or less just "taking it easy," Lance Berkman will finally make his Texas Rangers debut in a Cactus League game today against the Cleveland Indians.
The 37-year-old veteran is ready to make his debut after battling a minor calf strain since the Rangers reported to Surprise, Ariz., for spring training.
Berkman is coming off an injury-riddled season in which he was limited to just 32 games with the St. Louis Cardinals a year after hitting .301 with 31 home runs (his most since 2007) with 94 RBIs (his most since 2008).
He was brought in after contemplating retirement to hopefully help ease the loss of Josh Hamilton's big bat in the middle of the lineup and is slated to hit third for the Rangers as a primary designated hitter while also seeing limited time at first base and possibly even in the outfield.
Berkman has said he's about 80-85 percent and "hopes" to be 100 percent when the season begins on March 31 against his longtime team, the Houston Astros. Today, while it's just a spring game, is a big step for Berkman just to get on the field and do baseball things against a real baseball team.
