Robinson expects to return from DL when eligible

ST. LOUIS -- Shane Robinson, who went on the disabled list last Wednesday with a right shoulder strain, resumed hitting Monday and said afterward that he felt only minimal discomfort in his shoulder.

Though Robinson has not yet resumed throwing, he has every expectation of being ready to come off the disabled list on Aug. 15, his first day of eligibility.

"I can obviously feel a little bit of dull pain in there, but it's nothing that's worrying me," Robinson said. "I was worried at first when it first happened because of my history with injuries, but it didn't feel like my other shoulder. From the beginning, it wasn't too big of a deal. The doctors and trainers looked at everything, and it just looks like I aggravated it and there is some swelling."

Robinson's last shoulder injury was indeed more severe. A dislocation of his left shoulder in May 2008 cost Robinson the rest of that season. Robinson suffered this strain sliding back into first on a pick-off attempt in the first game of last Tuesday's doubleheader against Pittsburgh.

He continues to treat the injury with ice and anti-inflammatory medicine, and has not yet been told of plans to go out on a rehab assignment.

"Knock on wood, it's a good thing that it wasn't anything serious," Robinson said. "I was kind of scared there for a minute."