Adam Wainwright cleared to resume baseball activities for St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals lost one franchise cornerstone on Monday, but they also received promising news on another.

Adam Wainwright was cleared for baseball activities on Monday, which potentially opens the door for him to contribute in the postseason. The two-time National League wins leader won’t have enough time to build  up necessary arm strength to start, but he’ll be able to work out of the bullpen if his Tuesday bullpen session and simulated game this weekend go according to plan.

The Cardinals hope to get at least one regular-season appearance from Wainwright out of the pen before pitching him in the postseason, though they feel confident about the prospect of having their ace on the postseason roster even in a small capacity.

“I think I’d have a much higher confidence level to have him throw in-season before you put him on the [playoff] roster,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said to MLB.com on Monday. “If you recall the last time he was in the bullpen, he was pretty good.”

The time Mozeliak referenced, of course, was Wainwright’s rookie season when he recorded saves in four postseason games during St. Louis’ run to the World Series. The last pitch of that World Series was the last pitch Wainwright threw as a reliever, so it will be interesting to see how the three-time All-Star responds to being in a relief role for the first time in nearly a decade.

Even before the postseason, having Wainwright back in uniform could help jumpstart a Cardinals club that has struggled of late. While he figures to pitch a few innings tops before October starts, Mike Matheny is likely hoping that even having his ace back on the roster can provide some life to a St. Louis team that has seen its division lead slowly shrink over the last few weeks.

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