St. Louis Cardinals‘ veteran ace Adam Wainwright has been out since being placed on the COVID injured list last Friday.
Wainwright tested positive in San Francisco after shortstop Edmundo Sosa and four staffers had tested positive in Kansas City.
Wainwright was lined up to start Tuesday’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, but did not clear COVID protocols in time.
Lefty Packy Naughton took his place in the rotation.
However, Katie Woo of The Athletic tweeted some positive news for Cardinals fans, revealing that earlier today, prior to their series finale against the Orioles, Wainwright was spotted throwing a bullpen session, which would line him up to start Saturday or Sunday when the San Francisco Giants are in town.
Wainwright just wrapped up a bullpen, which would line him up to start either Saturday or Sunday. Starting him Saturday would buy Hudson an extra day of rest. #STLCards
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) May 12, 2022
Waino On Track To Return
This is good news for the Cardinals.
Wainwright has been the team’s horse over the past few seasons.
He helped steady the ship after the Cardinals returned from their COVID outbreak in the shortened 2020 season.
He’s also been commonly referred to as “the stopper” as he has been known to pitch gems in games following Cardinals losses and put the team back in the win column.
His last start was against the Kansas City Royals, a game in which he pitched seven shutout innings and allowed just one hit as the Cardinals rolled to a 10-0 victory.
He’s 3-3 on the year with a 3.18 ERA.
If he returns over the weekend, the Cardinals’ rotation will get a huge boost, especially against a powerful offensive team such as the Giants.
This means Wainwright would only miss one turn through the rotation.
The Cardinals would most likely send either Jake Walsh or Packy Naughton back down to Triple-A Memphis when Wainwright is activated.
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