Matt Holliday (quad) improving, but not ready to come off DL

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 9 with a Grade 2 right quadriceps strain, has been ramping up his baseball activities but isn't sufficiently recovered to return to game action, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.

The Cardinals open a nine-game homestand Friday against the Chicago Cubs, but Holliday hasn't progressed to the point where he can test the leg by running. This week he has hit off a tee and played catch and characterized his quad as getting "stronger" and "better," according to the report.

Holliday does not have a clear schedule for when he'll be ready to return to the active roster, but he's getting closer, as is reliever Jordan Walden, sidelined since April 30 by a troublesome shoulder.

Walden has been projected for a return sometime in the vicinity of the All-Star break, although Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said, "We're not putting a lot of pressure on him to rush. He'll be back when he's ready."