St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols collided with Wilson Betemit on June 19th, and he was diagnosed with a wrist fracture. The injury looked horrific, with Pujols's glove hand bending back in ways that were completely unnatural. He was supposed to be out until August.
So it's more than a little surprising that Pujols is ready to be activated just two weeks later. From Brian Stull:
I've got confirmation that Albert Pujols was cleared by the doctor today and can return
...
Roster move to make room for Pujols not clear yet
This is absolutely one of the most surprising comebacks since Roger Clemens was in George Steinbrenner's luxury box, announcing he was a Yankee again. Pujols had a broken wrist. Now he doesn't, two weeks after he suffered the injury. Freaky.
The Cardinals have been playing Lance Berkman at first, allowing Jon Jay to get regular time in the outfield. The odd man out would appear to be Mark Hamilton, who was called up after the Pujols injury, and who hasn't hit a lick upon his promotion.
For those of you curious as to exactly where Pujols's injury was, Baseball Nation has obtained an exclusive picture of his x-ray, which should answer a lot of questions: