There have been plenty of injuries early on in the MLB season, but it's hard to imagine any having a bigger impact than this one.
St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright stumbled out of the batter's box against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, and had to leave the game limping off the field. While the initial hopes were that Wainwright simply sprained an ankle, it appears to be much worse.
According to FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal's sources, the expectation is that Wainwright will be out for the season with an Achilles injury.
While that won't be confirmed until Wainwright undergoes an MRI, it's certainly a scary proposition for the Cardinals, even with the depth of their staff. The Cardinals won the World Series in 2011 without Wainwright, but it may be a tall task to do it again.
Michael Wacha, Lance Lynn and Carlos Martinez will have to pick up the load for the Cardinals. Hang on to Wainwright until the MRI confirms it's a torn Achilles, but definitely start planning to move on without him.
In other news...
Falling aces: Wainwright won't be the only ace to hit the DL. Mariners hurler Hisashi Iwakuma has a 6.61 ERA in his first three starts, and a strained muscle under his right arm might be to blame. Iwakuma is expected to miss two to four weeks.
Pulling for Puig: After missing four games last week with a left hamstring injury, Yasiel Puig had to once again leave the game Friday after re-aggravating the same injury. Puig has been placed on the 15-day DL to fully heal.
Cleaning up: It's never good when a player has to go under the knife for a knee injury. Oakland A's utility man Ben Zobrist has been placed on the 15-day DL due to torn cartilage in his left knee, and Zobrist said he'll need to undergo arthroscopic surgery to trim his meniscus. The typical recovery time for that is four-to-six weeks, so feel free to look elsewhere in free agency.
Brawl updates: The suspensions from the White Sox-Royals brawl have been handed down, and they'll have a big fantasy impact. Royals ace Yorando Ventura was handed a seven-game suspension, and fellow starter Edinson Volquez was docked five games. Royals star outfielder Lorenzo Cain was hit with a two-game suspension. For the White Sox, Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija were each suspended five games. Plan accordingly in your lineups this week.
Hamilton update: We're still waiting for the trigger to be pulled, but it certainly looks like Josh Hamilton will be heading back to the Texas Rangers. Considering that he still needs to get back in playing shape, you can safely wait to take a flier until all the pieces fall into place.
Check back Monday for more updates!
