A month has passed since the conclusion of the World Baseball Classic.
The St. Louis Cardinals had a total of 17 players competing in the tournament, one of which was veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright.
The 41-year-old made two starts in the WBC, allowing one run over four innings in each of them.
However, he was injured in the weight room during the tournament and is currently on a rehab assignment.
The Cardinals have struggled a bit to open the season, starting out 8-11 and already finding themselves in a six-game hole in the NL Central.
Wainwright recently commented on the team’s struggles and how the WBC may have something to do with it.
Waino says he & the rest of the WBC players loved the experience, but he does admit they could be feeling some repercussions…#TheOpeningDrive #STLCards
Full interview: pic.twitter.com/MEeqMEG5sB
— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) April 20, 2023
Wainwright stated that the Classic should not be used as an excuse for why the Cardinals aren’t playing well, but he did point out the fact that a good chunk of the team left in the middle of spring training and missed a good portion of spring camp.
Players such as Miles Mikolas, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Arenado, and Wainwright himself were away from the team.
Wainwright said that something to consider is the fact that after such a long absence from the team, it can sometimes take a little while for a team to start firing on all cylinders.
Such is the case for the Cardinals right now.
They were the overwhelming favorite to win the NL Central prior to Opening Day, but have not performed up to par.
Wainwright made a rehab start on Wednesday and is scheduled to make one more before being activated from the injured list.
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