Collateral Damage Daily for August 31

Yadier Molina was back in the lineup last night after the collision at the plate. � Rafael Furcal left yesterday�s game with a right elbow strain and is officially day-to-day. However, he also felt a pop in his elbow, followed by tingling. He�s being sent for an MRI. � Howie Kendrick left the game yesterday with right knee soreness and is day-to-day.

Additions

• Denard Span was added to the DL after further testing revealed a sprained SC joint. It�s not a common injury, and it�s one that could turn into a medical emergency if the joint dislocates posteriorly. About 90 percent of the time, the end of the clavicle pops out anteriorly because of the increased strength of those posterior ligaments, but when it does dislocate posteriorly, it can put pressure on the trachea, blood vessels, and even the lungs. In extreme cases, it can cause death. Span is expected back in September, but he could miss the rest of the season.

Subtractions

• Joey Votto is expected to be activated from the DL tomorrow following two surgeries on his left knee in the last six weeks. In July, he tore his meniscus, and during the rehab, floating pieces of cartilage were keeping his knee swollen. He still has swelling in his knee, but that is common. Moving forward, he is at a slightly higher risk of knee problems since the meniscus is not shaped normally, but that effect is mostly negligible in this case.
• Lance Berkman will be activated tomorrow, even though he is not 100 percent. Berkman will be used cautiously throughout September.
• Wilson Betemit will activated from the DL tomorrow. He has missed almost three weeks with a small cartilage tear and bone bruising in his right wrist. Cartilage tears in the wrist can become problematic, but there are no signs of that so far.
• Josh Collmenter is expected to be activated on Saturday after missing a total of 23 days with stomach ulcers that were so severe he required hospitalization. After the doctors found the ulcer, they cauterized it and had Collmenter stay in the hospital for observation.
• Mark DeRosa will be activated tomorrow after missing about four weeks with a left abdominal strain. I would not hold my breath for him to stay healthy in the future.
• Aubrey Huff will be activated tomorrow to be used as a pinch-hitter and spot starter at first base down the stretch. Huff has missed 79 days because of a PCL sprain and patellar tendinitis.
• Jeff Niemann will be activated from the 60-day DL tomorrow after missing 109 days because of broken right fibula caused by a line drive off Adam Lind�s bat. Niemann has been throwing the ball very well, especially during side sessions. He�s expected to provide rotation flexibility to help limit the innings on the arms of Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson, and Alex Cobb.
• Huston Street is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Sunday if tonight�s rehab appearance goes smoothly. Street is not at a much higher risk of re-injuring his calf.
• Brad Penny will be activated tomorrow with the expansion of rosters. He has not been effective at all this year out the bullpen.
• Matt Guerrier was activated from the 60-day DL after spending 133 days recovering from right elbow inflammation. He made five rehab appearances and showed good command and no recurring symptoms. He is expected to return to the bullpen.