Weeks to return; Hairston's status up in the air

Though it would be in limited duty, Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks could come off the disabled list as soon as this weekend. With the Philadelphia Phillies coming to Miller Park for a four-game set, the Brewers may activate Weeks for pinch-hitting situations. The sprained left ankle that has sidelined Weeks since July 27 doesn't bother him when he's hitting, but running remains an issue. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said before Tuesday's game that Weeks made progress in his running during workouts on the field at Busch Stadium. "Yesterday was a real good day for him, I could see the improvements out there," Roenicke said. "He didn't have that little pause, that little hesitation that he's had." If the team does activate Weeks soon, he would not yet see significant time - if any - at second base. Though his running is improving, he is still not ready for regular fielding duties and has not yet run the bases. The Brewers haven't discussed how much time Weeks might need to be ready for complete duties, but plan to ease him back into things and go on a day-to-day basis. Activating Weeks now is not an issue, though, because rosters expanded Sept. 1, allowing teams to have more than 25 players. Meanwhile, Jerry Hairston Jr., acquired from the Nationals at the trade deadline to fill in for Weeks, is dealing with a minor injury of his own. He left Monday's game in the fourth inning with neck stiffness and was not in Tuesday's lineup. "We need Jerry," Roenicke said. "It could be a game (that he misses), could be a couple." Roenicke said if Hairston's neck issue lingers more than a few days, the Brewers might add another player to give them more infield depth. Though they have Craig Counsell and Josh Wilson, the Brewers could look to Eric Farris, who came up from Triple-A Nashville for a day in July, for additional depth. The expectation, though, is that Hairston will only need a day or two off. Hairston is hitting .275 with four RBI since being acquired, but has been more valuable as a utility man in the absence of Weeks and center fielder Carlos Gomez, who returned last week. "He's fit in really well because he's so versatile," Roenicke said. "It's easy to find a place for him to go out there and start. And with (Gomez) down, it was a nice situation with he and Nyjer (Morgan) out there (in center field). And he's done a real nice job at second base." Roenicke said Hairston has given the Brewers exactly what they'd hoped for when they traded minor league outfielder Erik Komatsu to get him. "I've seen him for a lot of years and always liked the way he played," Roenicke said. "He always knew what he was doing and he's a tough out at the plate. I kind of thought what he was going to be like, and he is. He's a real nice player." FOX Sports Wisconsin's Telly Hughes and the Associated Press contributed to this report.