MILWAUKEE -- Wanting to give Adam Wainwright additional time to recover from tightness in his mid-back, the Cardinals will turn to Luke Weaver to make a spot start on Wednesday against the Brewers.
The start will be Weaver's second since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis. He shouldered the loss in a five-inning appearance against Arizona last week that was blemished by J.D. Martinez's grand slam.
Wainwright could return before his turn in the rotation comes back around, as the Cardinals are open to plugging him back in whenever he gets the appropriate medical clearance. He threw off flat ground on Tuesday and has a bullpen session scheduled for Wednesday, which is also the first day he's eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list.
"We'll just watch and evaluate as he takes those steps," manager Mike Matheny said.
Social media spotlight
Four days after posting an Instagram retort upon reading a partial quote from Matheny in a newspaper article that seemingly implied the Cardinals' catcher was tired, Yadier Molina stirred up speculation of a rift between them again on Tuesday.
After seeing Molina post a photo of himself alongside former Cardinals coach Jose Oquendo and an accompanying caption stating that he was "missing this [man] right here," some fans and media outlets jumped to the conclusion that the update was a subtle jab at Matheny, who beat out Oquendo, among others, for the managerial job after Tony La Russa retired. Oquendo, by his choice, stepped away as the team's third-base coach last season and now serves as a Minor League instructor in the organization.
Before Tuesday's game in Milwaukee, Molina said he was unaware that others had perceived his post in such a manner and said that was not his intention. General manager Mike Girsch and Matheny said they were both aware of the situation but preferred to address it internally.
"Making it more public is not going to help," said Girsch, who agreed, however, that "perception matters," even if the post was made innocuously.
Matheny, who spoke at length after Molina's criticism of him on Friday, did not want to do so on Tuesday.
"No thoughts," he said. "We keep our eyes on everything and try to keep moving forward."
Worth noting
• With a 22-6 record in July, Triple-A Memphis posted its best month in franchise history. Memphis has not lost a series since April 18-21 and enters August with a 71-37 record.
• Infielder Evan Mendoza was named the New York-Penn League Player of the Week for his performance from July 24-30. Mendoza, playing for Short-Season State College (Pa.), finished the week 13-for-26 with five doubles, one triple, five RBIs and five runs scored.