Abdominal pain sending Wainwright back to St. Louis
Cards ace to be examined Thursday; GM Mozeliak 'not overly concerned'
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals will fly Adam Wainwright to St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon to have the right-hander examined after abdominal pain kept him from participating fully in Tuesday's workout.
General manager John Mozeliak said that Wainwright will be seen by Dr. Michael Brunt of Washington University on Thursday, at which time the club will provide an update on Wainwright's status. Mozeliak said he is "not overly concerned" about the development, particularly since it has nothing to do with Wainwright's arm or ability to pitch.
Wainwright threw his first bullpen session of Spring Training on Friday without issue. The discomfort in his abdomen has been present during other drills and when running. As a result, the training staff had Wainwright back off from the normal pitcher's schedule.
"It's so early in camp that there is no reason to push him," Mozeliak said.
The Cardinals had already planned to modify Wainwright's spring program in an effort to address workload concerns. Wainwright has thrown 519 2/3 innings over the past two seasons, most in the Majors. The club had talked about possibly having him make just four Grapefruit League starts (as opposed to the customary five) and had not scheduled him to throw live batting practice as early as the other pitchers.