Cardinals' Adam Wainwright: Expected to start home opener

Wainwright is expected to start the Cardinals' home opener April 5 against the Diamondbacks, putting him in line to open the season as the No. 2 man in the team's rotation, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

That No. 2 label doesn't mean much with regards to Wainwright's staying power in the rotation throughout the season, as Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha and Luke Weaver all probably enjoy more stability in their respective starting roles. The right-hander has seen his effectiveness wane while battling injuries the past two seasons, and was shuffled to the bullpen in the second half of the 2017 campaign before he was shut down with an elbow injury that required arthroscopic surgery in October. Now 36 years old and coming off a season in which he posted a 5.11 ERA over 123.1 innings, Wainwright no longer looks like a serviceable fantasy starter in most mixed formats.