As expected, Craig on Cards' World Series roster

BOSTON -- After watching Allen Craig take batting practice and run the bases during the Cardinals' Tuesday workout at Fenway Park, manager Mike Matheny announced the anticipated: Craig will be added to the club's World Series roster, which was made official Wednesday.

Craig, who has been recovering from a foot injury since Sept. 4, will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter in the first two games of the Series. He'll then be available off the bench once the series shifts to St. Louis, with the chance of being cleared for an expanded role.

Asked if Craig could resume defensive work in Boston, general manager John Mozeliak said, "We're going to see how the weather goes."

Temperatures are expected to drop the next two days, and Wednesday's forecast calls for rain.

Matheny has not committed to where he'll insert Craig into the lineup, though Craig most frequently filled the cleanup spot during the regular season. He'll be making his return after a seven-week layoff, but did feel encouraged by how quickly his timing has returned during a few recent simulated-game sessions.

"I feel like I have a good approach to go out there and do well, not having played in a few months," Craig said. "We'll just see how it goes. I'm going to go out there and focus on competing. I'm not going to worry about my swing or my stance or too much. I'm just going to compete against the pitcher and see what happens. I'm really excited to get out there and play."

In order to add Craig to the 25-man roster, the Cardinals removed Adron Chambers. By keeping Kolten Wong instead of Chambers, the Cardinals believe they'll be best covered because of Matt Carpenter's versatility. Wong also provides the same element of speed off the bench that Chambers would have.

The rest of the roster remains unchanged from the previous two postseason rounds. The breakdown is as follows:

Pitchers (12): Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn, Trevor Rosenthal, Kevin Siegrist, Carlos Martinez, Randy Choate, Seth Maness, John Axford, Shelby Miller and Edward Mujica

Position Players (13): Yadier Molina, Tony Cruz, Matt Adams, Craig, Carpenter, Wong, Daniel Descalso, Pete Kozma, David Freese, Jon Jay, Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday and Shane Robinson