"Ryan Ludwick arrived at Busch Stadium Friday afternoon expecting to tell manager Tony La Russa that he was available to pinch-hit in the game against the Brewers.

A few minutes on the treadmill changed those plans, however, and Ludwick now appears destined for a trip to the disabled list on Saturday.

While running on the treadmill, Ludwick felt his left calf grab, letting him know that he has not recovered from the injury he first suffered last week in Toronto.

"I don't think we're back to square one, but I knew it wasn't ready," Ludwick said.

While general manager John Mozeliak said a final decision about placing Ludwick on the DL would not be made until Saturday, manager Tony La Russa said that would be the move.

If the Cardinals replace Ludwick with an outfielder from Triple A Memphis, the two leading candidates appear to be Jon Jay or Allen Criag, both of whom have been with the team earlier this season and both of whom have been playing well at Memphis. Jay is hitting .321 with four homers, 32 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 42 games. Craig is hitting .300 with nine homers and 55 RBIs.

Ludwick has had a difficult time trying to heal from the injury, primarily because he has no pain unless he tries to run.

"I'm glad I didn't go out there and do it during a game, so at least it's retroactive," Ludwick said. "This has been a slower healing thing than I thought. It's weird. There's no swelling, there's no tenderness, it's just if you put it in that position where you bounce on it, it's just a little bit tight in there."

Ludwick described the injury as "annoying.""