St. Louis ? St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris, sidelined because of a broken hand and sprained left ankle since July 22, will start Saturday without the benefit of a rehabilitation assignment.

The Cardinals decided to give Morris, the staff ace the last three seasons, the ball after he pitched in a simulated game at Pittsburgh last week, then threw about 70 pitches in the bullpen Wednesday.

He reported no problems Thursday, so they plan to activate him from the 15-day disabled list in time for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“It’s not the perfect setup but he’s ready to challenge it,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s going to jump in there after one four-inning simulation in Pittsburgh, but it’s late August and there’s not a whole lot of time.”

Morris’ left ankle is his landing foot, and it was still swollen and black and blue Thursday. But Morris, 8-6 with a 4.16 ERA, said he was ready to go.

“I think I’m just working on putting up with the pain,” he said. “We’ll put some tape on it and see how it feels. If I can land on it, why not pitch?”

Jeff Fassero, a 40-year-old left-hander who moved into the rotation while Morris was out, will go back to the bullpen.