Deadspin editor Will Leitch makes no attempt to hide his borderline obsessive man-crush on former St. Louis Cardinals phenom Rick Ankiel, so he must have been more than a little pleased with the report late Friday that manager Tony LaRussa guaranteed that Ankiel will see time in St. Louis before the season is over:

"There's no doubt he'll be here in September," La Russa said before his club's game against the Washington Nationals. "Whether he gets here before September, that remains to be discussed."

Much was made recently of the fact that Ankiel is out of minor league options (if St. Louis calls him up, he's there to stay or else they risk losing him, I think - these "options" frighten and confuse me), but when a guy is tearing up the Pacific Coast League to the tune of 31 homers and 85 RBI, your team has been languishing below .500 all season, and your lineup is largely devoid of power, you might as well take the chance.

And if all else fails, throw him out there for a start or two. Can he really be worse than Anthony Reyes or Kip Wells at this point?