St. Louis Cardinals activate RHP Adam Wainwright

The St. Louis Cardinals have activated righthanded pitcher Adam Wainwright, who is expected to pitch out of the bullpen, off of the disabled list.

The St. Louis Cardinals have activated righthanded pitcher Adam Wainwright, the team announced Wednesday. To make room on the roster, the team moved pitcher Carlos Martinez to the 60-day disabled list after announcing last week that he would miss the rest of the season with a shoulder strain.

Wainwright had made just four starts this season before sustaining a torn Achilles tendon during an at-bat on April 25. He was expected to miss the entire season, but completed his rehab ahead of schedule; expected to take nine to 12 months to recover from the injury, he completed the process in only five months.

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With the Cardinals likely to win the NL Central and already having clinched a postseason berth in some capacity, Wainwright will help his team through the playoffs from the bullpen.

Wainwright has a 2.96 career ERA in 221 games through eight seasons as a starter, but a 3.39 ERA as a reliever. He pitched the first 63 games of his career in a relief role, but has not appeared out of the bullpen since the 2006 season when he made his fulltime transition to a starter.

The Cardinals have an MLB-best 99–58 record with five games to play against the Pirates and the Braves. Wainwright will be available to pitch during Wednesday’s doubleheader in Pittsburgh.

- Erin Flynn