Earlier in the week, St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright flew from the Cardinals' Spring Training camp in Jupiter, Florida, back to St. Louis for examination after experiencing an abdominal strain. VAVEL's Dave Whitlock provided some of the details. The news is much better than initially anticpated says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, and Wainwright should not miss much time. In fact, Langosch reports that Wainwright should recover well in advance of the Cardinals' season opener against the Chicago Cubs on April 5.
Langosch reports that a St. Louis specialist called the strain mild, which "brought some relief to Cardinals camp" as Wainwright appears to have a short recovery time ahead. Wainwright himself tweeted to Cardinals fans his joy that the injury is not serious.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak discussed the matter and said that Wainwright will return to Jupiter on Friday. He can still throw, but he will wait for the pain to subside and then take it easy for a while when he resumes. All signs point to Wainwright's starting that Sunday night season opener, which ESPN will air. Langosch quoted Mozeliak saying, "...it shouldn't change the start of the season outlook at this point. But time will tell."
According to Langoch's report, Wainwright started feeling discomfort earlier in the month while lifting weights. He then felt more pain while running later that day. Dr. Michael Brunt considers the strain mild and says there is no serious injury, and he even ruled out sports hernia.
Wainwright is the staff ace for good reason. In the previous two seasons, he has combined for a record of 39-18 in 66 starts (468 2/3 innings) with a 2.67 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 398 strikeouts, and 8.4 WAR. He made the National League All-Star team both years and finished second and third, respectively, in the N.L. Cy Young voting.
Mozeliak expects Wainwright to return to full strength and activity by mid-March, and he should have no problem making that Opening Night start, in which he will most likely face the Cubs' newest ace, Jon Lester.
The Cubs and Cardinals have one of baseball's most-heated rivalries, and this season should see them battle each other for the division title as VAVEL's N.L. Central preview predicts.