St. Louis Cardinals activate RHP Adam Wainwright
![St. Louis Cardinals activate RHP Adam Wainwright St. Louis Cardinals activate RHP Adam Wainwright](https://www.si.com/.image/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/MTY4MTg1NzQ1NDg2NDU2MDgx/cardinals-adam-wainwright-activatedjpg.jpg)
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.
• CORCORAN: Angels win 7th straight game, seize wild-card spot from Astros
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