Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright and outfielder Alex Gordon underwent offseason surgeries that put them a bit off schedule heading into spring training. It appears as if the Cardinals and Royals are ready for these All-Stars to take the field in the near future.
Wainwright had a minor procedure on his right elbow to have a ligament trimmed back in October. The right-hander was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery prior to the 2011 season, but the team's medical staff said there was no reason to worry about any long-term effects after the most recent surgery. Wainwright was set to be ready for spring training.
However, during the first week of workouts, Wainwright strained a muscle in his abdomen and has been limited since, having yet to make a start. But the right-hander threw 50 pitches in a simulated game on Monday and the team has penciled him in to make his first start of spring training on Saturday, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
It's unknown if he'll be ready for Opening Day, but this is at least a big step in his progression toward building up his arm strength.
In the American League, the Kansas City Royals have been dealing with a similar issue to their star outfielder Alex Gordon. The four-time Gold Glove winner had surgery on his left wrist in January after playing through pain for most of last year and he has been severely limited in his offseason workouts. It's unknown when he'll make his spring debut, but he made significant progress on Monday.
According to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star, Gordon took live batting practice against some of the team's minor-leaguers and was pleased with the results.
"It felt good," Gordon said. "Obviously, it's been a long time since I've seen the speed of the pitcher coming off the mound. I wasn't really concerned with the results. I just wanted to track pitches and swing the bat, too."
"Just trying to feel comfortable up there. After the first three or five (pitches), I started feeling a little bit better getting the speed of it. Overall, felt pretty good."
McCullough notes this was the last step in Gordon's journey to playing on Opening Day, which the outfielder has reiterated he would be ready for, and he's expected to play in minor-league intrasquad games on Tuesday and Wednesday. After that, manager Ned Yost will decide if Gordon is ready to make his spring debut.
The success of Wainwright and Gordon are instrumental to their teams' success, so their progress throughout spring training will be monitored closely.
