Ace pitcher Adam Wainwright's season is over way before he hoped it would be.
Wainwright, 32, underwent season-ending surgery last week to repair his ruptured left Achilles tendon.
The Achilles tendon connects the heel bone to the muscles in the back of the calf. When your Achilles tendon ruptures, you may feel a pop or snap followed by an immediate sharp pain in the back of your ankle.
St. Louis Cardinals Manager John Mozeliak said Wainwright would have a 10- to 12-month recovery time, which could set him up to start the 2016 season.
Wainwright tore his Achilles when leaving the batter's box during an at-bat against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Cardinals play in baseball's National League (NL), where pitchers bat along with every other position player. American League (AL) teams use a designated hitter (DH) to bat for the pitcher.
According to Sports World News, many people believe it's high time the DH was incorporated into the NL. But despite getting injured while batting, Wainwright doesn't want baseball to change its rules.
"I couldn't disagree more with that," Wainwright told reporters at MLB.com. "I just think baseball is a National League game. I wish both leagues would convert to National League baseball. And I understand why people would say that, but you can't point to another instance, almost, where the pitcher has hurt [his] Achilles doing that kind of thing. Running the bases? Maybe once or twice a year. Maybe."
Despite his comments, Wainwright's injury spurred a discussion about whether the NL should adopt the DH rule.
Wainwright was 2-1 this season with a 1.44 ERA and 18 strikeouts. Last season, he won 20 games, ranked fifth in the NL in ERA (2.38) and had the most starts (34) in the NL.
