Cardinals activated RHP Jason Motte from the 15-day disabled list.

Motte will be an active member of the Cardinals' bullpen on Tuesday night for the first time since the 2012 playoffs. He wound up missing close to 13 months following Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery and will likely be eased back into high-leverage situations. The bearded right-hander is expected to eventually settle in as the primary setup man for St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal.

Jason Motte (elbow) will be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday if he gets through a bullpen session Sunday with no issues.

Motte struck out five over 6 2/3 scoreless innings during a rehab assignment. He was touching 95-96 mph during the assignment, so it appears he's not far off from where he was pre-Tommy John surgery. The Cardinals figure to ease him with low-leverage situations initially.

Jason Motte (elbow) will throw in front of the Cardinals on Saturday and Sunday before being re-evaluated.

It seems likely that he'll be activated from the disabled list at that point if they like what they see. Motte has pitched on back-to-back day, has made a two-inning appearance and hasn't given up a run in six rehab appearances, so he doesn't really have any other boxes to check. The Cards figure to ease him with low-leverage situations initially.

Jason Motte (elbow) threw a scoreless inning in his rehab debut for Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.

Motte made four scoreless appearances at Double-A Springfield before moving his rehab assignment to Memphis. The hard-throwing right-hander should be ready to join the Cardinals' bullpen in about a week. He missed the entire 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery.

Jason Motte (elbow) will move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Motte has looked extremely sharp thus far, firing 3 2/3 scoreless innings while posting a 3/1 K/BB ratio. If all continues to go well, he could be looking at a return to the Cardinals bullpen before the end of May.

Jason Motte (elbow) tossed a scoreless inning Tuesday in his second rehab appearance with Double-A Springfield.

Motte threw just six pitches and induced a fly out and two ground outs. He's expected to rehab for 2-3 weeks before joining the Cardinals' bullpen. Look for him to eventually emerge in a set-up role.

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Monday that Jason Motte (elbow) will likely need 2-3 weeks of rehab appearances.

Motte struck out the side on 13 pitches during his first rehab appearance with Double-A Springfield Sunday. Mozeliak noted that Motte was clocked at 95-96 mph, which is harder than he had been throwing at extended spring training. Motte should eventually work his way into a setup role for the Cards once he's ready.

Jason Motte (elbow) struck out the side on 13 pitches during his first inning of work on his minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Sunday.

Not a bad start as Motte continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. He'll need several appearances on his rehab assignment before becoming an option for the Cardinals, but barring any setbacks he could rejoin the bullpen at some point in May.

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said in an interview Tuesday that Jason Motte (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment this weekend.

Working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Motte was being clocked at 92-93 mph in recent sessions at the Cardinals' spring training complex. The Cards surely want the velocity to pick up a bit before they activate him, so Motte might be in the minors for a while.

Jason Motte (elbow) won't begin throwing in minor league rehab games until sometime in May.

Motte's fastball was being clocked at 92-93 mph in recent sessions at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida and that's probably not going to be good enough for the right-handed reliever, whose effectiveness relies heavily on heat. "Right now, just being in our extended program makes the most sense," Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said last week. Motte is recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Jason Motte (elbow) could begin a rehab assignment after throwing his next simulated game on Friday.

Motte has thrown multiple simulated games at the Cardinals' spring training complex, with the latest coming on Tuesday when he threw 19 pitches. While he could begin a rehab assignment by next week, Motte still isn't expected to rejoin the Cards' bullpen until early May.

Jason Motte (elbow) threw 20-25 pitches Tuesday in a simulated game.

Motte, who is making his way back from Tommy John surgery, has scheduled appearances in extended spring training games Saturday, next Tuesday, and then one later in the week. If all goes well, he'll start a minor league rehab assignment by the middle of the month. It sounds like he has a chance to join the Cards' bullpen in early May.

Cardinals placed RHP Jason Motte on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow injury.

Motte is coming along well in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he needs a little more time. He should be added to the Cards' bullpen in late April or early May.

Jason Motte (elbow) is scheduled to make an appearance in a minor league game on Saturday.

It will be his first time pitching in a live game since undergoing Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery last spring. Motte has made a very smooth recovery (up to this point) and could be ready to join the Cardinals as a setup man around the middle of April. St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal is not in danger of losing his job.

Jason Motte (elbow) faced lived hitters in a simulated game on Friday without any issues.

He's scheduled to throw another similar session in the coming days, and then debut in a minor league game on Thursday. He will not appear in Grapefruit League action so the team can backdate his stint on the disabled list. He's expected to rejoin the Cardinals bullpen at some point in mid-April.

Jason Motte (elbow) took a significant step in his recovery process on Friday, facing live hitters for the first time.

Motte threw around 20 pitches in the session against minor league hitters. His command wasn't where he wanted it to be, but the veteran right-hander was pleased with the overall results and came away feeling encouraged. He's expected to be ready to join the Cardinals bullpen in mid-April.

Jason Motte (elbow) will throw live batting practice on Friday.

It will be the first time he's faced hitters since last May's Tommy John surgery. Motte has been increasing the intensity of his bullpen sessions lately and is coming along a little ahead of schedule. He could rejoin the Cardinals' bullpen sometime in April.

Jason Motte (elbow) is close to being cleared to throw live batting practice.

Motte threw his highest intensity bullpen session yet on Monday. "Today was a good day," Motte said. "I felt like it was a little easier to get to that [higher intensity] point today, whereas last time I was still trying to feel it out. I feel good. We'll see what the next step is, and I'll see how I feel tomorrow, and we'll go from there." Cardinals manager Mike Matheny added the Motte is "progressing well and he's almost at a higher velocity, higher intensity each time out." The reliever will begin the year on the DL but could return by the end of April.

Jason Motte (elbow) will ramp up his throwing Saturday to "a pretty high intensity" Saturday.

"My arm has responded well," said Motte, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery. "It hasn't been like I've thrown one day and the next day I couldn't move." The Cardinals haven't set a timetable for the right-hander, but late April/early May seems like a realistic target.

Jason Motte (elbow) said Tuesday that returning sometime in April "may be a possibility."

Motte said that being ready for Opening Day would be "a push," which is no surprise since he's been expected to begin the year on the DL all along. The Cardinals haven't placed a timetable on his return, but it's sounding like it will most likely come around the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery in early May. "Even if I'm throwing bullpens at the end of March and I'm firing balls in there that's great but it's still not the same as getting in a game with that intensity, that adrenaline," Motte said. "So you don't want to go straight from there to the big-league ballgame without facing hitters or doing anything back-to-back. April may be a possibility, I don't know."