Adam Wainwright is back with the Cardinals. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals activated right-hander Adam Wainwright from the 60-day disabled list prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates and he will be available to pitch out of the bullpen.
The team also placed right-hander Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) on the 60-day disabled list.
Wainwright, 34, who suffered a left Achilles injury on April 25, has missed 141 games since injuring himself while batting in a game at Milwaukee. He was expected to miss the remainder of the season. Prior to the injury, he was 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA over 25 innings in four starts.
The Cardinals plan to use Wainwright out of the bullpen. He last pitched in relief during the 2006 season when he was on the mound to close out both the World Series and National League Championship Series. He has made 221 consecutive appearances as a starter since that time.
The longtime ace of the rotation will be limited to one-inning stints initially.
“When I got hurt, I thought coming back in spring training was the realistic goal,” Wainwright said “But as I kept going along in rehab, our training staff kept saying I had a chance to come back this season. That really drove me and, now, here’s that chance. I’m really excited to get back out there.”
Wainwright, a two-time 20-game winner and three-time All-Star, owns a career mark of 121-67 with a 2.90 ERA.
Martinez, 24, only made seven pitches before departing a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee on Friday night. With a 14-7 record and a 3.01 ERA, Martinez has been more than anyone could have expected in his first year as a big-league starter. He made the All-Star team and has come up big in many critical spots.
