Ankiel

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals starter Rick Ankiel has a strained left elbow that will sideline him indefinitely.

Tests Saturday found damage to his elbow that was more extensive than the tendinitis that started bothering the left-hander following two innings of work on March 3.

"It's a strain as well as tendinitis," trainer Barry Weinberg told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "He's not going to pitch for a while."

Ankiel, 22, last pitched Friday and complained of minor stiffness.

Manager Tony La Russa said the strain won't necessarily keep Ankiel out of the major leagues this year, but Weinberg said "there is no timetable" for his return.

However, ESPN's Karl Ravech reported Monday that Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said Ankiel will be out four to six weeks. An MRI showed there was no ligament damage.

Jocketty also said that Ankiel likely would start the season in Triple-A when he's healthy.

"When he comes back, he's going to have go through another entire spring training," Weinberg said. "He pretty much has to start over."

After winning 11 games in the 2000 regular season, Ankiel threw nine wild pitches in four postseason innings.

His wildness continued last spring, and after starting in St. Louis, he was dropped to Triple-A Memphis, then to Johnson City, Tenn., of the short-season rookie Appalachian League. He made 14 starts with a 5-3 record and 1.33 ERA.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.