The Adam Wainwright farewell tour is off to a rough start for the St. Louis Cardinals.
There were concerns about whether or not he had stayed one year too long. Wainwright had struggled with his velocity during the spring but blamed those issues on minor muscle issues in his back and legs. As he performed relatively well in the World Baseball Classic, there was reason to hope he would be back to form for Opening Day.
St. Louis Cardinals rotation issues following Adam Wainwright injury
Those hopes will have to wait. According to Derrick Goold from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wainwright is going to start the season on the Injured List. He injured his hamstring in the weight room during his time in the WBC and is expected to be out for several weeks.
Wainwright had posted a solid 3.71 ERA and a 1.283 WHiP over his 191.2 innings last season, striking out 143 batters with 54 walks. However, he faltered down the stretch as age appeared to catch up with him. He needed a strong showing in spring training, and in the WBC, to assuage those concerns.
This injury does not help. While a timeframe has not been given, it seems unlikely that Wainwright will pitch in April. The Cardinals will have to patch that hole with another question mark, likely Jake Woodford, as they aim for another postseason berth. But that may hinge on their nominal ace and how he performs once he is healthy. Otherwise, that farewell tour may have come a year too late. The Cardinals have to hope that is not the case or their pitching hunt will begin earlier than expected.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is starting the season on the Injured List. Their rotation now has another question mark to answer.
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