MLB rumors: League kills Braves fun, Wainwright mad at Cardinals fans, and more
By Josh Wilson
Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
Adam Wainwright mad at Cardinals fans after reaction to rehab start
Adam Wainwright is taking note of MLB and St. Louis Cardinals fans that are calling out his lame rehab start. He took to Twitter to let fans know he saw the reactions to his second start and is using them to fuel his motivation to come back stronger.
Looking forward to proving every last one of you underneath this wrong. Thanks for the motivation. There’s a balance… read the comments and get depressed? Or read the comments and put the war paint on. See you soon
— Adam Wainwright (@UncleCharlie50) April 26, 2023
Wainwright’s second start in his rehab assignment was objectively not good. He pitched 4.1 and gave up seven hits, 3 earned runs, and struck out just one batter. Katie Woo reported the team is considering having him do a third rehab start, which, after that outing, might be necessary.
It’s always hard to tell how much, exactly, to take from rehab starts. On one hand, the performance is somewhat indicative of a player’s readiness to get back into the big leagues and face the highest skill division. On the other hand, the rehab outings are at least partially just to re-establish a feel for the pacing of a game and ramp up to the competitive nature of the top-level before jumping right into the deep end.
This will be Wainwright’s final season in the big leagues, so Cards fans are certainly hoping the second rehab performance is a bloop on the radar, and nothing more. It would be great to see him go out with some glory and bring some intensity to the starting rotation that desperately needs an ace after a slow start to the season.