Seven weeks into the 2023 MLB season, some teams have been missing key players to their rotation or in their lineup and in the field defensively. Just ask the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees.
In some cases, those losses have played a part in their team’s slow start, while in other cases, more injuries have piled up causing a slow start in the standings. The good news is that there is still time left in a long 162-game regular season to make up some ground. More good news is that some teams are starting to get some of their injured players back, which can give a team the jolt that it needs. Here are three teams that can only benefit from some injured players finding their way back into the rotation or in the lineup.
St. Louis Cardinals: Adam Wainwright
One of the more head-scratching starts to the season resides with the St. Louis Cardinals, sitting at the bottom of the National League Central standings. There are many factors that you can contribute to their start, but at the top of the list is their pitching.
Their team pitching has an ERA of 4.48, which combined with a .257 team batting average is not a good combination. Their starters have struggled and the bullpen has been leaky as of late, giving up big innings. The Cardinals did get some good news as Adam Wainwright joined the rotation last weekend against the Detroit Tigers after a groin injury.
In his first start, he went five innings and allowed eight hits and four runs in a 12-6 St. Louis win. It was his first start of the season, so there is expected to be some rust. It is going to take him some time to work himself up, but if his history has told us anything, he will quickly catch up.
Getting Wainwright back is a big addition to the Cardinals rotation and his second start will be Friday night at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, a good early-season test for the veteran right-hander.