After the St. Louis Cardinals Ace pitcher tore his Achilles, no one was asking, can Adam Wainwright pitch again this season?
On April 25, Adam Wainwright injured his left Achilles and lower ankle while batting against the Milwaukee Brewers. The three-time all-star and perennial Cy Young Award contender left the game (a 5-3 win for the Cardinals) after hitting a pop-up in the fifth inning. He tried to hobble out of the batters box, unable to run and later told reporters: “I thought I got hit by something. If you look at the replay, I got out of the box and I look back to think the catchers mask must of hit me or the bat must’ve hit me. Crazy game.”
Adam Wainwright had a 1.44 ERA through 25 innings pitched in 2015. He’s posted a 2.98 ERA for his nine-plus-year career with a 7.6 strikeouts and a 2.2 walks per nine innings. And even though the Cardinals sport one of the best pitching staffs in MLB, they’ll miss Wainwright’s productivity.
Adam Wainwright will find out Monday if his hopeful optimism about returning this season will come to fruition. He’s been sidelined since April, and on Monday, the 34-year-old will meet with his doctors to determine if he’s healthy enough to return to action, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Wainwright has been participating in throwing sessions in the bullpen, though Goold reports he hasn’t yet fielded the position, and that’s something he has to be able to do if the Cardinals can realistically consider him an option.
The three-time all-star has been absolutely determined that he will return to game action this season despite being told the recovery time for this type of injury is 10-12 months.
CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 25: Adam Wainwright #50 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 25, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
