Lance Berkman returned to the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup on Saturday, less than two months after knee surgery to repair meniscus and cartilage tears in his right knee. Part of the reason he's able to make such a speedy return is the fact that he's been activated without the benefit of a minor-league rehab assignment to regain his rhythm.

"We have an urgency to put the best team out there that we can, and I think it's without question what he adds to this team with the intangibles and the tangibles," manager Mike Matheny said, according to MLB.com. "We thought there was a way to rush that process a little bit."

Berkman, who's played just 13 games this season due to injury, sounds content shaking off the rust against big-league competition.

"There's really not a whole lot you can fine tune until you get back in there and start playing against live competition," Berkman said. "For me, it's just making sure that I get my body back in shape to swing the bat and where you feel like you can compete when you go out there. I'm pretty much right at that level."