The St. Louis Cardinals have been dealing with a lot of injuries this season, but those players have been getting healthy in recent days/weeks. Adam Wainwright was cleared for baseball activity on Monday, which brings him closer to returning to MLB action.
According to the latest rumors, it looks like he'll be back for the postseason.
Wainwright faced live batters on Wednesday for the first time since rupturing his Achilles tendon back in April. The right-hander threw 25 pitches to various Cardinals' hitters, including Matt Adams, Jon Jay, Randal Grichuk and Pete Kozma.
"It's a step in the right direction," Wainwright told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm going to improve on it. I like being out there again, but I don't like not being able to do exactly what I wanted to do. That leaves me some homework. I like that."
"I wanted to be better than that, but that's the first time," Wainwright added, via Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. "I've got some things to work on, and I'll do it. I have to hone everything in a hair. My strength is throwing the ball exactly where I'm trying to throw it. I've got good life on the ball now. I just have to hone it in here."
His next assignment will be a simulated game this weekend. He pitched behind a screen yesterday, but he likely won't during the simulated game because Goold says Wainwright will have to prove he can field the position before appearing in a game.
"We'll just kind of watch and see what it looks like," manager Mike Matheny added, via Goold. "It has to look right. It has to feel right. And it has to fit with what we're doing. I'm just happy we're having this discussion."
The last time Wainwright pitched as a reliever was back in 2006. That year he was exclusively in the bullpen and went 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 61 games (75 innings). He also pitched 9 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out 15 batters throughout the postseason en route to the Cardinals' World Series victory.
"This past Monday he was given the clearance necessary to make the attempt to pitch this season," Goold adds. "He will do so in relief for the Cardinals - though he has 10 games remaining to show he should dislodge a pitcher who has been with the team during the season or was even acquired at the trade deadline."
It's unknown if the team will give Wainwright any reps in their final regular season games, but if all goes well at the tail-end of his rehab process then it looks like he'll be ready for the playoffs, likely as a reliever.
Wainwright was 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in four starts (25 innings) before suffering the injury.
