Adam Wainright's season might be over and Vincent Padilla could be out for a prolonged stretch. Despite receiving an injection in his knee, Joe Mauer insists he if fine.
Wainright, the St. Louis Cardinals' 20-game winner, is getting a second opinion on his injured right elbow, but the fear is that he will require reconstructive surgery.
Wainwright, runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award last year, was sent to St. Louis on Wednesday for tests and consultation with team physician George Paletta. Earlier in the day, general manager John Mozeliak said "things do not look encouraging" for the right-hander, who injured his elbow while throwing batting practice Monday.
The team anticipated holding a news conference Thursday afternoon to disclose findings.
Losing Wainright would leave a big hole in what looked to be a stable starting rotation that included Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse, Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook.
There are few pitchers available on the free-agent market, with Kevin Millwood probably the best known.
"It's going to be tough to replace a guy who wins 20 games, but you never know," first baseman Albert Pujols said. "One of these young kids could step up like Jaime did last year."
In Glendale, Ariz., Padilla, the Los Angeles Dodgers' valuable right-hander who can both start and relieve, will undergo surgery on his right elbow Thursday and could be out anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Team officials said that the timetable is uncertain because the injury is somewhat unusual. The surgery involves an incision to free up a nerve that's trapped by a muscle.
"I don't want to talk about it until we get more medical information," manager Don Mattingly said, adding the team hopes Padilla can return this season.
"It flared up when he tried to increase his velocity," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "This was the best course of action, especially considering we've got the month of March and a week in February."
In Fort Myers, Fla., Mauer downplayed questions about his left knee, saying lubricating shots are part of the recovery plan after offseason surgery.
To Mauer's dismay, Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire revealed Tuesday that the star catcher is taking shots in his knee to help lubricate the joint. He had surgery after last season to alleviate swelling that bothered him for much of the year.
"It's more of a preventative thing, just to make sure I'm good to go for the season," Mauer said before the first full-squad workout. "So it's really not that big of a deal, and I kind of wish it wasn't out there. But here we are."
Mauer will take it easy for the next day or two to let the first shot take effect. He says he will need three or four in the series, which will be taken once a week. The plan is to limit his catching early in camp.
In Sarasota, Fla., Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts had X-rays on a sore neck.
He returned in the afternoon and downplayed the issue.
"Just a stiff neck," Roberts said. "We've probably all had a stiff neck at some point in our life, right? I'm not overly concerned."
Roberts did not participate in the team's third full-squad workout. He will continue to receive treatment and will be re-evaluated Thursday morning.
Roberts appeared in only 59 games in 2010 because of a variety of ailments. He reported to camp last year with a herniated disk in his back, and went on the disabled list after four games with a strained abdominal muscle. He then missed the final six games of the season because of headaches likely caused by a minor concussion.
In Surprise, Ariz., Michael Young is leaving the Texas Rangers to attend to unspecified "family matters." He is scheduled to return to camp with the AL champions on Saturday.
"He's got a family thing he's got to attend to," manager Ron Washington said. "He's ready to go. He'll take care of that, come back and play some baseball."
Young requested a trade last month after the team signed Adrian Beltre to a six-year, $96 million free-agent contract. The team did not make any deals and he reported to camp on time, saying he was focused on the upcoming season.
