Adam Wainwright appears poised to rejoin the St. Louis Cardinals - albeit, in a relief role for the first time since 2006 - after tossing 27 pitches Saturday in a "much better" simulated game than the one he threw Wednesday.

"It felt like me out there today," Wainwright told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. "That was incredibly uplifting. My leg feels great. My arm was solid, rebounded great. It was nice to be out there facing big league hitters."

Wainwright, who hasn't pitched in a game since tearing his left Achilles tendon April 25, struck out four of the six hitters he faced Saturday and noted after his outing that it was "no big deal at all" fielding ground balls or covering first base.

"Certainly, today was a good day for him," general manager John Mozeliak said. "He certainly looked like he had a better feel for pitching today instead of simply throwing."

The three-time All-Star is expected to meet with the doctor who surgically repaired his Achilles in April within the next two days, with the hopes of being activated from the disabled list in time for Monday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Before landing on the disabled list, Wainwright fashioned a 1.44 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP over four starts, notching 18 strikeouts while allowing just three walks and no home runs in 25 innings.

His impending return, meanwhile, offers a bit of consolation in the wake of Saturday's announcement that Carlos Martinez will miss the remainder of the season with a right shoulder strain.