Wacha optimistic new plan will mean ’16 return

ST. LOUIS — While he awaits clearance to begin a throwing program, Michael Wacha has been seeking advice and soliciting suggestions for how best to address a right shoulder stress reaction that has now landed him on the disabled list twice in the past three seasons.

Among those he’s reached out to is Brandon McCarthy, the only other established Major League pitcher known to have dealt with this specific injury. Wacha, who first talked to McCarthy in 2014, reconnected with him again this month.

“He said he went through six times where it kept on recurring, and one year it just never came back,” Wacha said. “There is definitely some optimism looking forward there.”

Wacha said McCarthy downplayed how much mechanical changes helped him get past the recurring issue.

The Cardinals’ medical staff also has been working with Wacha to develop a new rehab strategy. Wacha recently visited a Chicago-area orthopedist for another opinion on how to best address the injury, and last week he underwent a bone-density scan.

The strengthening program that the Cardinals are creating, general manager John Mozeliak said, is being done with the …

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