Adam Wainwright placed on DL with Achilles injury, could miss season

It didn't looked good the moment Adam Wainwright hobbled out of the batter's box on Saturday in Miller Park with an apparent ankle or Achilles injury, and the news is no less encouraging on Sunday morning.

The Cardinals officially placed their long time ace on the disabled list Sunday morning. After labeling it only an ankle injury on Saturday, the team is now acknowledging the possibility of an Achilles injury, which likely has some hearts skipping a few beats in the clubhouse and back in St. Louis.

The team announced Wainwright will undergo an MRI on Monday in St. Louis.

According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the early expectation is Wainwright suffered a torn Achilles, which would end his season immediately and put the Cardinals in an uphill battle to win another division championship or appear in a fourth straight NLCS.

Often times you'll hear an athlete describe a similar feeling when the tendon detaches, so this is obviously trending in a troubling direction.

Of course, the Cardinals have survived life without Wainwright before. He missed their 2011 run to the World Series championship after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the Cardinals knew they were without Wainwright before the season and had ample time to prepare and fill out their rotation with veterans like Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse and Edwin Jackson, who joined Chris Carpenter. Jaime Garcia also emerged as a helpful piece.

Right now, Wainwright is the man, though they have received encouraging Aprils so far from Michael Wacha, who's coming off an a few injuries; Carlos Martinez, who's adjusting to the rotation; and veteran Lance Lynn. All three have sub-2.00 ERAs, and without Wainwright it would be essential for all three to stay on point.

At 34, there's also concern about Wainwright's long-term outlook. The good news, if any can be derived based on what's known, is that his arm is healthy. He definitely needs his legs, too, but the arm being healthy will make it easier for him to come back at top form.

That's all speculation that can be saved for 6-8 months from now. Right now, the focus is on Monday's MRI, what it will reveal, and what it will immediately mean for the Cardinals and the entire National League.