By Chris Brown – STL Baseball Today
Though the Cardinals hold the best record in baseball despite injuries to key players, such as Adam Wainwright, Matt Adams, and Matt Holliday, the team would undoubtedly welcome their return to the active roster. Of the six redbirds currently rehabbing from injuries, only one (Adam Wainwright) is unlikely to return this season. GM John Mozeliak told reporters at Busch Stadium on Tuesday that the team will continue to monitor their progress as the club heads into the stretch run, as none of the players are expected back in the short term.
The latest updates on those sidelined redbirds (from MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch & KMOV’s JJ Bailey):
Adam Wainwright (ruptured left Achilles tendon): As mentioned, Wainwright is the only Cardinal who is not expected to play again this season. While the 33-year-old is pushing for a late-season return, there’s thus far been no indication from any doctor that such a return would be practical. Wainwright was given a recovery timetable of nine to twelve months after undergoing surgery near the end of April.
Matt Adams (right quad strain): See new update … Although Adams has continued to make slow but steady progress after hitting the shelve in late May with a quad strain, the 26-year-old first baseman still has plenty of hurdles to clear before heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The slugger has began taking controlled swings in the batting cage and is not far from participating in outdoor batting practice, but is still not close to running at full speed, a major step in recovery. The club is still very optimistic on his recovery, as manager Mike Matheny expressed.
“From when this injury happened, I don’t think anybody was expecting him to be taking controlled swings at this point in the summer, so that’s a positive for us,”Matheny said.
The team is hopeful that Adams will be ready to begin a rehab assignment before the conclusion of the minor-league season, which would put him on pace for a mid-September return.
Matt Holliday (right quad strain): After suffering his second quad injury this season, the Cardinals have adjusted his recovery plans in the hopes of lessening the chance of another reoccurence. Although his rehab plan is still roughly the same, the medical team will be more cautious with the veteran outfielder this time around. The 35-year-old has experienced increased mobility, although there is still no timetable for his return. The team does believe that Holliday will be patrolling left field again before season’s end.
While Matheny said the team certainly plans to be careful with both Holliday and Adams, it’s clear that both could potentially provide a major boost for the offense when ready, and the manager said he won’t be hesitant in deploying them when that time comes.
“When either Matt has been given clearance and they feel good, we can’t necessarily pump the brakes when all those things have been checked. We understand we have to be cautious, we have to learn from what we’ve experienced already, but with that being said, we’re also not just going to sit around if we’ve been given clearance.”
Jon Jay (stress reaction in left wrist): As he continues to regain his strength after experiencing soreness/irritation in his left wrist, which was operated on in the offseason, outfielder Jon Jay is still without an official timetable for a return. While the 30-year-old has resumed swinging off a tee and will begin ramping up his hitting in the days to come, Matheny said he thinks Jay is “still not feeling it quite yet.” Mozeliak said a return for Jay is “at a minimum a couple weeks away.”
Matt Belisle (right elbow inflammation): The veteran right-hander was cleared to resume passing catch on Tuesday, but will need several weeks to rebuild his arm strength. At this time, mid-September appears to be the goal for Belisle’s return.
Jordan Walden (right biceps inflammation): In contrast to all the other rehabbing players, Walden’s rehab has recently taken a major step back. His return appeared imminent just a few weeks ago, but ago four rehab outings, the assignment was stalled due in early August due to weakness in his right shoulder. The 27-year-old, who’s been sidelined since late April, sought a second opinion last week and is now following an altered rehab plan.
“I knew I wasn’t myself but I just wanted to pitch. I just wanted to play, you know? I gave it a shot and I tried, but my arm told me ‘you can’t even play catch,’” Walden said. “I got a taste of it when I played in those rehab games, but I just didn’t feel like myself when I was out there. I think now I’ll be on a good track.”
Surgery is a possibility if he continues to deal with discomfort, but Walden certainly hopes it won’t come to that.
Feature image used under Creative Commons by Keith Allison. No changes made. Image license.
Holiday image used under Creative Commons by Keith Allison. No changes made. Image license.
Jay image used under Creative Commons from Keith Allison. No changes made. Image license.
