HOUSTON -- The best news found in the Cardinals' long and involved injury report is that outfielder Rick Ankiel could rejoin the club as soon as Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Ankiel has an infection in his right knee and returned to St. Louis to meet with team doctors instead of coming to Houston with the Cardinals for the weekend series.

"Rick is improving," manager Tony La Russa said on Saturday. "I hear he's going to be there Tuesday."

Ankiel scraped his knee making a diving catch last Sunday at home against Pittsburgh. But it didn't bother him until he woke up on Wednesday.

Right-hander Todd Wellemeyer was scheduled to start on Tuesday in Cincinnati, but his start could be pushed back a day or two.

"That could be it," La Russa said of Wellemeyer's start being pushed back. "I haven't talked about it." La Russa said he did not anticipate Wellemeyer missing his turn completely.

Wellemeyer is bothered by inflammation in his right elbow. He also returned to St. Louis from Washington and had an MRI done on Friday. On Saturday, the Cardinals reported that the MRI showed a mild olecrenon stress reaction and posterior impingement. Wellemeyer will be reevaluated on Monday and plans to join the team in Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Wellemeyer pitched six innings and earned the win in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

"[He hurt it] during the game," La Russa said. "We got him out as soon as he said something. We don't want to take any chances."

Wellemeyer has been the Cardinals' best pitcher in 2008 with a 7-1 record and 2.93 ERA.

Left-hander Mark Mulder threw a long bullpen session before Saturday's game.

"I was pleased with it," Mulder said. "My command was a lot better today. It felt good the other day, but I couldn't make pitches."

Mulder is recovering from surgery on his left shoulder. He has not pitched this season.

He said he can throw all his pitches now, but did not throw any split-finger fastballs during Saturday's session.

"I'm just trying to get back to that old feel," Mulder said. "I throw some good pitches on the mound. There's times I get too quick. [Throwing good pitches] gets me excited because I haven't done it for so long, and I rush."

Mulder said that, though he has tended to use a three-quarter arm position, he's trying to change that.

"I'm trying to go too much over the top because of my arm surgeries," Mulder said.

"He continues to make progress," La Russa said after watching Mulder throw.