David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Nick Punto is "at or near the top" of the Braves' list in their quest to find a utility infielder.

Punto played well for the Cardinals in 2011 when he was healthy, as he hit .278/.388/.421 with one home run, 20 RBI and an .809 OPS over 166 plate appearances. He was also lauded for his clubhouse presence. The Cards are interested in bringing him back, but Punto should have a few options.

Cardinals general manager told B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest that the club has interest in retaining infielder Nick Punto.

Punto was limited to just 63 games this season due to injury, but batted .278/.388/.421 with one home run, 20 RBI, a 21/25 K/BB ratio and an .809 OPS over 166 plate appearances. The 34-year-old is a skilled defender at second base, shortstop and the hot corner, so he is likely to draw interest from several teams.

Nick Punto will start at second base Thursday in Game 6 of the World Series against the Rangers.

Punto is just 6-for-32 (.188) this postseason, but he's the Cardinals' best defensive option at second base. He'll be facing right-hander Colby Lewis on Thursday night.

Nick Punto is starting at second base in Game 4 of the World Series Sunday.

It's the only change from a lineup that put up 16 runs in a Game 3 victory to give the Cardinals a 2-1 series lead. Punto replaces Ryan Theriot and offers a defensive upgrade. Punto is 3-for-6 with a pair of walks in the World Series thus far.

Nick Punto is starting at second base in Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday in St. Louis.

Skip Schumaker is recovered from his oblique injury, but Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is sticking with his best defensive option with groundball-inducing starter Chris Carpenter going against Texas. Ryan Theriot is also on the bench for Game 1.

Nick Punto is in the Cardinals' starting lineup for Game 5 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Friday.

He's back at second base after Ryan Theriot made the start at second base against the southpaw Randy Wolf in Game 4. Punto is hitting .200 (3-for-15) with seven strikeouts during the postseason.

Nick Punto is starting at second base in Game 3 of the NLCS Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.

Punto also drew the start at second in Game 2 of the NLCS. He's hitting just as well as Ryan Theriot at the moment and is the far better defensive option behind groundball-inducing Game 3 starter Chris Carpenter.

Nick Punto will make the start at second base in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Monday night.

Ryan Theriot made the start at second base in Game 1 on Sunday. Also of note, Matt Holliday will move back into the cleanup spot while Lance Berkman bats fifth.

Nick Punto went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 13-6 win over the Astros.

The Cardinals were down 5-0 after the third inning but shredded Houston's depleted staff over the next six inning. The blowout win, coupled with Atlanta's fourth straight loss, pulled St. Louis into a tie for the Wild Card lead in the National League (both teams are 89-72). The Braves will send Tim Hudson to the hill on Wednesday against Philadelphia's Joe Blanton and the Cardinals have Chris Carpenter matched up against Houston's Brett Myers.

Cardinals activated INF Nick Punto from the 15-day disabled list.

Punto missed over a month with a strained oblique and has played in only 47 total games this season for the Cardinals. He'll return to his role as a utility infielder.

Nick Punto (oblique) will be activated from the disabled list and rejoin the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Punto has played in only 47 games this season for St. Louis due to a variety of freak injuries. The 33-year-old impending free agent will return to a .271/.378/.402 slash line and will finish out the year as a utilityman.

Nick Punto (oblique) is aiming to return to the Cardinals within the next three weeks.

Punto was placed on the disabled list at the end of June with a strained left oblique and still isn't performing baseball-related activities, but he is making subtle progress. "Every day it's getting a little stronger," the utilityman told MLB.com.

Nick Punto made an early exit from Thursday's game after straining his left oblique.

That's no good. Punto had already been battling elbow issues and may be headed for the 15-day disabled list. The utility infielder has hit .274/.381/.406 in over 100 plate appearances this season for St. Louis.

It was reported on FOX Sports Midwest's broadcast Tuesday that the Cardinals will not place Nick Punto (elbow) on the DL at this time.

The Cards said after Saturday's game that Punto was likely to need season-ending surgery on his elbow, but he was able to get a pinch-hit single Sunday and has reported improvement with the elbow the last couple days. Manager Tony La Russa, though, said after Sunday's game that there was "no way" Punto could play the field. It's a bizarre situation, and we certainly wouldn't be surprised to see him wind up on the disabled list eventually.

Nick Punto returned to action on Sunday July 17.

Nick Punto (elbow) will be reevaluated Monday before the Cardinals make a roster move with him.

We're assuming he's still headed to the DL and the Cards are just waiting until Monday to officially make a move. Punto reportedly could require season-ending surgery on his elbow, and he's also dealt with forearm issues this season.

Nick Punto is headed back to the disabled list and could need season-ending elbow surgery.

Punto has been in and off of the disabled list all year, and couldn't convert a throw from third base during Saturday night's game against the Reds. It's a blow to the Cardinals, who've liked his defensive versatility during the periods that he's been healthy. The utilityman was batting .267/.343/.389 in 36 games.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Nick Punto is "not ready to play short(stop) yet" because he's still having forearm issues that make throws in the hole difficult.

Punto actually started two games at short last week, but La Russa has evidently determined that the utilityman is not quite ready for the position yet. "I just think (La Russa) doesn't want to put me over (at shortstop) for a while, probably until after the All-Star break," said Punto. "He's trying to keep me at second and third base for a couple of days here." With Ryan Theriot getting the night off, Daniel Descalso received his first career start at shortstop Friday.

Cardinals activated INF Nick Punto from the 15-day disabled list.

Punto played seven rehab games at Double-A Springfield, batting .333 with a .385 on-base percentage. He won't bring that kind of offensive prowess back with him to the major leagues, but he's a slick defender and should see playing time all around the St. Louis infield.

Nick Punto (forearm) is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday afternoon.

Punto played his final rehab game on Sunday at Double-A Springfield and is ready to resume his role as the Cardinals' primary utility infielder. He might not see many starts, but the scrappy 33-year-old will get innings at third base, second base and even shortstop.