It wasn't that long ago that Lance Berkman was scared that his career was over. The initial diagnosis of his right-knee injury was a torn ACL, which would have put him out for at least the rest of the season, and he wasn't sure if he was willing to do the rehabilitation that would have been required to get back on the field in 2013.

But it wasn't a torn ACL for Berkman -- it was a torn meniscus, which sounds just as bad but isn't. And it was a minor-enough injury to get Berkman back in the middle of July:

Cards to activate Puma Saturday. #stlcards

— Joe Strauss (@JoeStrauss) July 13, 2012

In Berkman's absence the Cardinals played a couple of other guys who could hit -- Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter -- so it wasn't that big of a loss. In fact, the Cardinals will have a crazy decision to make, as there are three spots for Berkman, Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, and Allen Craig. Who sits? Obviously not Beltran or Holliday ... but they can't possibly sit Craig, who's hit like an MVP candidate since he was put into the starting lineup. Which means they sit Berkman, except that doesn't make sense either. He's the kind of hitter who could give you Lance Berkman-type performance.

It's a problem. But it's a horrible, fantastic problem, and no one should feel bad for the Cardinals.