Wacha (oblique), whose prospects of pitching again in 2018 remain uncertain, will definitely be used exclusively in a bullpen role if he does manage to return, Tyler Fenwick of MLB.com reports.
The confirmation comes via manager Mike Shildt, who reached that conclusion after Wacha was unable to make his most recent rehab start for Triple-A Memphis on Friday. That was likely the right-hander's last opportunity to pitch at the minor-league level in 2018, as the Redbirds are already in the thick of the Triple-A playoffs. Wacha will undergo further evaluation on his left oblique, with Shildt stating that he still doesn't know "when or if [Wacha's return] will be."