Lance Berkman will not be activated from the disabled list for the start of the second half tomorrow, but his return from knee surgery isn’t far off.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Berkman will travel with the Cardinals to Cincinnati after successfully lobbying that a minor league rehab assignment will not be necessary.

While Berkman’s knee is no longer an issue, he’ll have to shake the rust at the plate before being cleared to return. He took batting practice today at Busch Stadium and will go through the same routine at Great American Ballpark. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny believes it’s likely he’ll be activated at some point during the team’s upcoming six-game road trip.

Berkman was hitting .333 (14-for-42) with one homer and four RBI in 13 games prior to undergoing surgery on May 25 to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee. While his return likely means less at-bats for Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter, the 36-year-old isn’t expected to play every day initially.