The St. Louis Cardinals are being investigated by the FBI for their alleged role in hacking the Houston Astros' computer database. Despite the dark cloud looming over the franchise, a promising update on starter Adam Wainwright provided some potential good news.
The right-hander, who tore his Achilles tendon in late April, was initially expected to miss 9-12 months after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair the injury. However, Wainwright is progressing at an encouraging rate and he's not ruling out a return in 2015.
Wainwright told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that there's "absolutely" a chance he could pitch in September or October given his current recovery status. Hummel noted that the Cardinals' ace is already off his crutches as of a couple of days ago and he's begun working out his upper body.
St. Louis (43-21) has done just fine without their staff ace, who was 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in four starts before getting injured. The team still owns the best ERA (2.63) in the MLB and the second-best rotation ERA (2.98), but if Wainwright can return just before the postseason it would undoubtedly give the club an even bigger advantage over their National League opponents.
Wainwright's progress will be closely monitored for the rest of the season in the wake of this update.
As for the bad news...
The Cardinals' are under investigation by the FBI after evidence was uncovered suggesting team officials illegally accessed the Houston Astros' computer networks to steal information. The New York Times reported the story on Tuesday and found the Cardinals allegedly gained access to some of the Astros' trade discussions, statistics, scouting reports and other sensitive intel, which could become the first case of corporate espionage in sports.
And we could find out soon.
ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack says the federal investigation is close to a conclusion.
It is believed the hack - which the Astros reported in June of 2014 - was an act of vengeance on former Cardinals' executive Jeff Luhnow, who is now Houston's general manager. It was said the Cardinals' employees gained access to the Astros' database after using a list of passwords Luhnow used in St. Louis when he helped establish the Cardinals' computer network years ago.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the hack was traced back to a house in Jupiter, Fla., which is where the Cardinals hold spring training, but it could be tough to pinpoint the perpetrator because it was said a number of Cardinals' officials used the house.
As the investigation draws to a close, the fate of one of the most highly respected sports franchises remains in limbo.
