Struggling Bret Boone benched

Seattle's Bret Boone is not happy about his situation, but won't blame anyone but himself.

Boone was not in the lineup Saturday night against the New York Mets and manager Mike Hargrove said the veteran second baseman would not start during the final six games of the Mariners' homestand.

"I'm not mad at skipper. I'm more disappointed with myself putting him in a situation where he would think about doing this. That's what I'm angry about," Boone said before Saturday's game.

Boone will spend the next week working on his hitting mechanics, in hopes of improving his .227 average this season.

Hargrove said Boone's absence from the starting lineup might extend into Seattle's road trip to San Diego on Friday.

"We'll let him go probably through this homestand and maybe into the road trip. We'll see how it goes," Hargrove said. "It's a way to try and help Bret get his bat back where he and we both feel it should be."

Hargrove said he won't hesitate to use Boone as a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement.

Infielder Jose Lopez, called up from Triple-A Tacoma before Friday's game, started for Boone. Lopez was promoted to give Hargrove more flexibility in the infield and the chance to allow Boone some time off.

The 36-year-old Boone averaged 30 homers and 112 RBIs the past four seasons, but has struggled most of this year. He has just five home runs, 29 RBIs and 45 strikeouts in 238 at-bats.

ROLEN ACTIVATED: St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen was activated from the 15-day disabled list after missing 33 games with a left shoulder strain. Rolen was in the starting lineup against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, batting fifth. He was hurt May 10 when he collided with Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Hee-Seop Choi and was placed on the DL two days later. Before the injury, Rolen hit .257 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 30 games. To make room for Rolen, outfielder Skip Schumaker was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

In other news, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said he doesn't expect outfielder Jim Edmonds to play during this weekend's series. An MRI taken Thursday showed that Edmonds has a hairline fracture of his left middle rib.