Lance Berkman Plans To Return This Season

3:28pm: Berkman feels optimistic after running at 50 percent today, he told Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (Twitter link). Big Puma is targeting August 8-9 to begin a rehab assignment and told Andro definitively, "I'm coming back."

THURSDAY, 11:17am: Berkman is not retiring, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

WEDNESDAY, 7:17pm: Berkman has not made any decisions and has yet to discuss the possibility of retiring with GM Jon Daniels, reports Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest. Berkman says he wants to act in the best interest of the team, and his concern is with being ineffective by playing with the hip issue.

11:12am: Rangers designated hitter Lance Berkman is considering retiring as early as this afternoon and forfeiting the remaining $4.4MM on his contract, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He's meeting with team officials today.  Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, however, was told this report is premature, and reported previously about the possibility of a financial settlement.  Berkman is thinking about retirement, he wrote in a text to MLB.com's Richard Justice.

Berkman, 37, signed a one-year, $11MM deal in January but has been battling a hip injury.  The Rangers have been searching aggressively for offense, not being able to rely on Berkman or Nelson Cruz.