ST. LOUIS -- Though he wouldn't speculate about the likelihood of installing Mike Shildt as the club's permanent manager beyond 2018, Cardinals principal chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. praised the job Shildt has done while leading the team to a 19-10 record, entering Friday's game against the Brewers, since taking over for Mike Matheny on July 15.
"Hard to imagine he could do any better than he's done so far," DeWitt said after watching the Cardinals take batting practice before Friday's game against the Brewers. "He's done everything that we could possibly have asked for. I think he communicates well with his staff. He communicates well with his players. He has a good baseball mind strategically. It's hard to criticize what he's done."
DeWitt, who is in town for Saturday's Cardinals Hall of Fame induction ceremony, confirmed that the organization has not started vetting other candidates for the position. He hasn't ruled out conducting a search after the season, but DeWitt also indicated that he wouldn't be opposed to skipping the search altogether if he is convinced the right man is already in place.
In essence, Shildt is in the middle of a 2 1/2-month on-the-job interview.
"I think you look at what you have and you assess what you have," DeWitt said. "And is that a path going forward that you think will be successful? Because, let's face it, when you go and do a search for any job in any business, until that person actually takes the job and works for you, you don't really know how it's going to play out."
Through 29 games, Shildt is off to the best by any manager in Cardinals history, and he's pulled the team from fifth in the Wild Card race to third. Their probability of winning a postseason berth, according to Fangraphs' calculations, has jumped from 21 percent to 34 entering Friday's game since he took over.
There are, of course, multiple things that have nudged the Cardinals back onto an upward trajectory. Matt Carpenter became the hottest hitter in baseball. The bullpen was blown up and remade. Deals at the non-waiver Trade Deadline paved the way for Harrison Bader and other young players to take on more impactful roles. And a pair of new hitting coaches were installed.
Shildt's task was to fuse all those new faces.
"He deserves a lot of credit because he's putting players in position to succeed," DeWitt said. "It's worked. I'm not being critical of the prior regime, because they were here for a number of years. But we said at the time, a fresh voice can inject new life in a club. And that's what's happened in my view.
"It's exciting. I think a lot of things have come together."
Rehab roundup
• Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) threw 28 pitches (20 strikes) over two innings to open a Double-A rehab assignment on Friday. Martinez allowed a home run and struck out one. He's slated to pitch again out of the 'pen for Double-A Springfield on Sunday.
• Michael Wacha (left oblique strain) is headed to Class A Advanced Palm Beach, where he'll begin a rehab assignment early next week. He's slated to throw two innings in that first appearance and then incrementally add 15-20 pitches per start until he's built up to return to the Cardinals' rotation.
• Adam Wainwright (right elbow inflammation) threw two scoreless innings on Thursday in what was his second appearance for Palm Beach. Shildt said that "everything checked out great," and the Cardinals are in the process of discussing where Wainwright will head next to continue his rehab assignment.

• Infielder Yairo Munoz (right wrist sprain) took batting practice at Busch Stadium on Friday and will report to Springfield to start a rehab assignment on Saturday. Munoz is scheduled to play in two games over the weekend before returning for additional evaluation. He is eligible to come off the disabled list on Tuesday.
Worth noting
• Shildt said there are no current plans to replace Luke Weaver in the rotation with Tyson Ross, who followed Weaver's 3 2/3-inning start on Thursday with 3 1/3 innings of relief. That keeps Weaver on track to start on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
• The Cardinals will induct three new members -- Harry Brecheen, Ray Lankford and Vince Coleman -- into their Hall of Fame during a 3 p.m. CT induction ceremony on Saturday. The event, which will take place at Ballpark Village, is free and open to the public. The ceremony will also be condensed into a one-hour broadcast that FOX Sports Midwest will televise at 7:30 p.m. CT on Monday.