St. Louis Cardinals righty Michael Wacha was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with right shoulder inflammation, but the root of the issue appears to be much more concerning.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Wacha is experiencing a recurrence of the scapular issue that plagued him in 2014. Mozeliak also said that Wacha’s role as a 200-inning-a-year starter may have to be reconsidered.
Asked if Wacha is entering McCarthy territory with reoccurrence of scap issue, Mozeliak says yes, 200 IP/starter role may need rethinking.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) August 9, 2016
The 25-year-old Wacha looked like a future star in the making as a rookie during the Cardinals’ NL Pennant-winning campaign in 2013. But he would go on to miss nearly three months in 2014 with that scapular problem in his throwing shoulder. While he did return to form in a big way in 2015 with a 17-7 record and a selection to the NL All-Star team, Wacha has been mostly mediocre for St. Louis this year, going 7-7 with a 4.45 ERA in 23 starts.
Wacha’s season is now very much in doubt, and the former NLCS MVP could even be looking at the possibility of an innings limit for the rest of his career.
Image Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Rotoworld
