Wainwright: Achilles rehab has gone 'perfectly,' bullpen stint in reach
The St. Louis Cardinals received some good news on Monday, as rehabbing right-hander Adam Wainwright was cleared for baseball activity.
Wainwright was hoping to be able to get back on a mound sometime before the 2015 season ended, but had to wait for the doctors' approval before anything could happen in that regard.
As he said to MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch on Monday, he had a return in his mind for quite some time: "I thought there was a chance right from the beginning. I was at Bob Costas' charity event [shortly after surgery], and a guy looked me right in the eyes, a 50-year-old man, and said, 'I was back climbing mountains in five months after my surgery, so if you can't do it, you're a wuss.' I said, 'Dadgum. OK. All right.' I thought it was possible. Doctors give you these very safe numbers. They have to, to protect you and them. You can always shave off a couple of months if everything happens perfectly, and everything so far, luckily, has happened perfectly."
Adam Wainwright has been given the green light for baseball activities and expects to be pitching out of 'pen soon. pic.twitter.com/gsouk3ebqC
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) September 21, 2015
That he's been able to progress this quickly from the Achilles tear just five months ago is pretty impressive, and the Cardinals are hoping his quick bounce-back will help him be a factor in the postseason.
Here's GM John Mozeliak speaking with the media prior to Monday night's game, as shared by Langosch on MLB.com:
And here is Mozeliak with an update on Wainwright, who may be appearing out of #stlcards bullpen before end of season pic.twitter.com/THQt5SMNAL
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) September 21, 2015
Waino's busy Monday also included an interview on MLB Network's "MLB Tonight" in which he spoke at length about his injury, rehab work and his prognosis:
Needless to say, Monday was a big day for Wainwright and the Cardinals as they hope to see him progress to the point of being a viable option out of the bullpen.