Ellis is retiring from baseball after 12 seasons, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Ellis played for the Cardinals last season but spent most of his career -- nine seasons -- with the A's. Known best for his defense, he will hang up the cleats after compiling 105 home runs, 550 RBI, and a .991 fielding percentage over 1,435 games.

Ellis (oblique) was activated from the 15-day DL on Monday.

Between a couple stints on the DL this season, Ellis has worked on the short end of a platoon at second base with Kolten Wong (neck), seeing starts against left-handers. Manager Mike Matheny may be inclined to return the 37-year-old to a similar role, but Ellis has posted just a .495 OPS through 191 plate appearances and the skipper could give more of those starts to Pete Kozma.

Ellis was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday with a left oblique strain.

Manager Mike Matheny was vague about Ellis' situation Monday, saying the 37-year-old was unavailable due to "soreness," but Ellis will require a DL stint with the injury officially diagnosed as an oblique strain. Kolten Wong figures to now play everyday at the keystone, with the team bringing up a fellow lefty swinger in Greg Garcia to take Ellis' place on the active roster.

Ellis was unavailable Monday due to "soreness," MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports.

Ellis has made just two starts for the Cardinals so far in August, collecting a total of nine at-bats on the month. Manager Mike Matheny likely hopes to count on the 37-year-old for veteran support down the stretch, but with just a .192 season batting average, he's not much of a threat at the plate at this stage of his career.

Mark Ellis had an RBI single and a walk Friday against the Nationals.

Ellis has made two starts since coming off the disabled list, but youngster Kolten Wong should still get most of the playing time at second base. Look for the 37-year-old to get spot starts against left-handers, like he did Friday night against Gio Gonzalez.

Cardinals activated 2B Mark Ellis from the 15-day disabled list.

Ellis only needed one game to show that he was ready to join the Cardinals. The 36-year-old was forced to begin the year on the disabled list due to left knee tendinitis, but will now serve as a backup to young Kolten Wong at second base.

Mark Ellis (knee) has reported to Triple-A Memphis to begin a rehab assignment.

He should be ready to join the Cardinals after a handful of rehab games. Coming back from a bout of patella tendinitis in his left knee, Ellis' return will push Pete Kozma to Triple-A.

Mark Ellis (knee) will not return from the disabled list on Friday, the first day he's eligible.

The good news, however, is that Ellis said things are "definitely going in the right direction" with the patella tendinitis left knee. The veteran infielder resumed baseball activities Monday, taking some swings in the batting cage. "We're getting the soreness out of there," Ellis said. "I guess there is a little bit of fluid in there, getting that out, too. I'm just taking this time, realizing that it's got to get better."

Cardinals placed INF Mark Ellis on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his left knee.

The veteran infielder has been slow in the recovery process, and has still been unable to participate in full workouts with the team. Pete Kozma is expected to function in a reserve infielder role until Ellis returns.

Mark Ellis (knee) could need a stint on the disabled list.

Ellis has been slow to recover from tendinitis in his left knee and has been unable to participate fully in workouts. The Cardinals seem like to play it safe and DL him, giving Pete Kozma the final infield spot.

Mark Ellis (knee) is expected to return to the Cardinals lineup on Saturday.

If not, he'll certainly be in Sunday's lineup. He has been fighting tendinitis in his knee since last Thursday which has kept him out of Grapefruit League action. He's expected to function as a reserve infielder for the Cardinals this year.

Mark Ellis (left knee) remains out of the lineup.

Ellis has been battling some tendinitis, which has kept him out of Grapefruit League action since last Thursday. The veteran said Wednesday that he is "definitely on the up and up." Fresh off a clean MRI, Ellis expects to return soon.

Mark Ellis will have his left knee re-evaluated on Wednesday.

Ellis has been battling some tendinitis, which has kept him out of Grapefruit League action since last Thursday. It doesn't sound like an issue to worry about, but more will be known after Wednesday's exam.

Cardinals signed 2B Mark Ellis to a one-year, $5.25 million contract.

The one-year pact also carries about $1 million in performance-based bonuses. Ellis should be a perfect fit as a bench piece in St. Louis, where he will back up the left-handed Kolten Wong at second base. The 36-year-old Ellis still rates very well defensively.

Mark Ellis' one-year contract with the Cardinals is worth $5.25 million, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The deal was agreed to last Friday and will be made official this week after Ellis passes his physical. The 36-year-old right-handed-hitter will provide insurance at second base behind youngster Kolten Wong, a lefty. It's a nice subtle addition for St. Louis.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals are close to signing Mark Ellis to a one-year contract.

Goold says Ellis just needs to pass a physical before the deal is announced. The Cards plan to hand over the second base job to Kolten Wong after moving Matt Carpenter to third, but Ellis will provide some nice insurance should Wong struggle. He batted .264/.328/.357 with 13 homers over the last two seasons for the Dodgers and offers a reliable glove.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Cardinals met with Mark Ellis' agent Tuesday.

The Cards are looking for a right-handed hitting middle infielder that can offer some protection for Kolten Wong. It's not clear whether Ellis would be willing to accept a bench job, though. He batted .264/.328/.357 with 13 homers over the last two seasons for the Dodgers.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal hears that the Rays, Royals and Dodgers are among the teams interested in Mark Ellis.

The Dodgers declined a $5.75 million option on Ellis following the season, but they remain interested in bringing him back at a lesser rate. However, he might be able to find more playing time elsewhere. For what it's worth, Rosenthal considers the Rays an unlikely fit at this time.

Acording to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Royals could have interest in free agent second baseman Mark Ellis.

Dutton cites a conversation with a team official who said they believe Ellis still has "something left". Though he'll turn 37 during the 2014 season, he did slash .270/.323/.351 with six homers and 48 RBI in 126 games for the Dodgers this past season. Fantasy owners are holding out hope that Emilio Bonifacio secures their second base job however, as Ellis' upside is extremely limited.

Dodgers declined 2B Mark Ellis' $5.75 million club option for 2014.

Ellis will receive a $1 million buyout and head into free agency. The 36-year-old batted .270/.323/.351 with six home runs and 48 RBI over 126 games this season. The Dodgers haven't ruled out bringing him back for 2014, but the newly-signed Alexander Guerrero appears poised to take over the starting second base job.