By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today

As the Cardinals get closer to activating ace Adam Wainwright from the disabled list more than five months after he tore his Achilles tendon, the team will now head into the postseason without the young breakout star who stepped up as a leader in the rotation in his place.

At a pre-game press conference on Saturday, general manager John Mozeliak told the media that starter Carlos Martinez has been shut down for the rest of the season — including the postseason — after an MRI revealed that the young right-hander was dealing with a shoulder strain.

With his glove held over his face as he fought back his emotions, Martinez exited his start Friday night after just seven pitches due to what was initially described as simply “shoulder tightness” by the team. Martinez revealed after the game that he first experienced tightness during his start last Sunday in Chicago, but he didn’t inform the medical staff or manager Mike Matheny of any discomfort.

“I didn’t say anything because I thought it was normal,” Martinez told MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch through translator Jon Jay. “I just wanted to pitch through it.”

After the news broke on Saturday, the 24-year-old told KMOV that he was extremely disappointed, but accepting of the team’s decision to shut him down.

“(This time), I thought it was going to be one of those things where it’s seven-to-10 days, but I’m OK with the decision the team made… It’s obviously disappointing. I was looking forward to pitching in the playoffs and helping the team go on a run. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to do that now. But I know everything happens for a reason and I’m going to be here and cheer on my teammates and do whatever I can.”

Added Martinez: “But mentally, I’m in a good place, knowing I’ve given it my all. Things happen for a reason.”

Although the injury was worse than the team originally hoped, the good news is that Martinez is not expected to require surgery and should be ready to go by Spring Training, Mozeliak said.

In his first full year starting in the majors, Martinez was in the midst of a outstanding season, posting a 14-7 record, 3.01 ERA, and 184 strikeouts in 179 2/3 innings this year. When asked whether a jump in innings — Martinez through just over 100 innings in 2014 — could have contributed to the injury, Mozeliak said that will never be known.

“This doesn’t take anything away from his year,” the GM said. “He showed he’s an elite-level starting pitcher. He wanted to get into the rotation, he earned it, and needless to say, when he was on, he was one of the more dominant guys in the majors.”

Left-hander Tyler Lyons, who pitched 3 2/3 solid innings in relief on Friday, is expected to join the rotation and start in Martinez’s spot on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Matheny told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. John Lackey, Michael Wacha, Jaime Garcia, Lance Lynn are now in line to make up the team’s postseason rotation.

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