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Adam Wainwright cleared for first spring start

By Nathaniel Reeves

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The St. Louis Cardinals ace is recovered enough from an abdominal strain to make his spring debut Saturday.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright has been cleared to make his first spring training start on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Wainwright has not pitched this spring due to an abdominal strain he suffered in late February. After a couple of weeks of caution and a 50-pitch simulated game on Monday, the Cardinals determined that Wainwright was healthy enough to return to live action.

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Barring any setbacks, Wainwright should have enough time to be at full strength by the start of the regular season. Wainwright would presumably be matched up with Jon Lester and the Chicago Cubs in the opening game of the MLB season on April 5.

This abdomen injury isn’t particularly serious, but Wainwright’s health is a concern. Wainwright underwent surgery to trim a ligament in his elbow in October and was unable to play catch until mid-January.

St. Louis is again expected to be a major contender in the National League again, but will need Wainwright at his best in what projects to be a competitive division. Wainwright finished 20-9 with a 2.38 ERA (2.88 FIP) in 32 starts last season, good enough for third in the NL Cy Young voting.

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