CARDINALS
Wainwright out for season
ST. LOUIS — The test results were no surprise. Before Adam Wainwright left the field in Milwaukee, the St. Louis Cardinals anticipated they’d be losing their staff ace for the season.
The 33-year-old pitcher will have surgery this week, likely Thursday, because of a completely torn left Achilles tendon. Recovery time is generally 9-to-12 months, and General Manager John Mozeliak was “optimistic” the 6-foot-7 right-hander will be ready for spring training.
“Unfortunate news, but not unexpected after what we saw,” Mozeliak said before the Cardinals played Philadelphia. “Given that it’s his left leg, I think we’re optimistic it’ll be sooner rather than later, but as far as this year goes, he’s done.”
Wainwright was a 20-game winner for the second time in his career last season and was the NL starting pitcher for the 2014 All-Star Game. He was second in the league with 227 innings last season and has twice led the league.
Wainwright was hurt while batting Saturday in Milwaukee. This is the second major injury of Wainwright’s career following a torn elbow ligament that caused him to miss the 2011 season.
Wainwright was not at Busch Stadium on Monday. Mozeliak said the pitcher received multiple medical opinions.
Mozeliak said one of two minor league left-hander, Tyler Lyons and Tim Cooney, will take Wainwright’s rotation turn on Thursday. Marco Gonzales and Jaime Garcia are experienced options for the long term, both coming off injuries.
RANGERS
Hamilton acquired from Angels
ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Hamilton is back with the Texas Rangers after two troubled seasons with the Los Angeles Angels filled with poor performance, injuries and an alcohol and drug relapse.
Less than halfway through a $125 million, five-year contract, Hamilton, 33, was traded Monday by the Angels to their AL West rival for a player to be named or cash. The Angels and owner Arte Moreno, wanting to rid himself of Hamilton, agreed to pay most of the remaining $80 million Hamilton was owed under the contract, which runs through 2017.
“I played, and played hard when I was there,” Hamilton said during a news conference. “I worked my butt off to be that guy this year going into this season for the Angels. They just didn’t want that to happen for some reason.”
On the 15-day disabled list while recovering right shoulder surgery on Feb. 4, Hamilton took a physical and will report Tuesday to the Rangers’ spring training complex in Surprise, Arizona.
Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said the team expects he will be there for about 10 days, then spend 10-to-14 days on an injury rehabilitation assignment with Class AAA Round Rock. He is on track to be activated during the second half of May.
Hamilton was taken by Tampa Bay with the top pick in baseball’s 1999 amateur draft, but his career was derailed by cocaine and alcohol addictions in the minors. He didn’t play from July 2002 through 2005 because of substance abuse issues that led to multiple suspensions, and he made his major league debut with Cincinnati in 2007, when he had 19 homers and 47 RBIs in 2007.
Hamilton was dealt to Texas in December 2007. He acknowledged a relapse in early 2009 after he was photographed getting drunk in a bar in Arizona. He held a news conference in 2012 to apologize for another night of drinking.
Then he self-reported a relapse with alcohol and cocaine this past offseason. Arbitrator Roberta Golick ruled Major League Baseball could not discipline Hamilton.
Hamilton, who turns 34 on May 21, returns to the team he helped make consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and ‘11. He was the 2010 AL MVP and an All-Star each of his five seasons with Texas (2008-12).
Hamilton was owed $80.2 million for the remainder of his contract: $20,234,973 of this year’s $23 million salary and $30 million in each of the final two seasons.
Texas will pay under $7 million of what is still owed to Hamilton, a person familiar with the trade said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because that was not announced.
ROYALS
Volquez drops appeal
CLEVELAND — Kansas City Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez has dropped his appeal of a five-game suspension for his involvement in a brawl with the Chicago White Sox last week.
Volquez was to start serving his suspension against Cleveland on Monday night.
“It was the right time to do it since I pitched yesterday,” said Volquez, who went 5 2/3 innings and was the losing pitcher Sunday against Chicago.
Volquez was among four Royals players suspended for their actions in the fight last Thursday. Pitcher Yordano Ventura was given a seven-game penalty, and outfielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Kelvin Herrera received two-game bans. All the players initially appealed.
Volquez is eligible to return Saturday when the Royals play Detroit.
Chicago pitchers Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzjia each were suspended five games.
Herrera also was suspended five games for throwing behind Oakand’s Brett Lawrie on April 19.
— The Associated Press