Many assumed that the career of Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter was over when he had to sit out early this year due to a recurrence of thoracic outlet syndrome. However Carpenter has been working at making a return, and after numerous bullpen sessions and simulated games in St. Louis, including a 100 pitch effort on Wednesday, Carpenter has been cleared to throw to live hitters.
Carpenter will start on Monday with the Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate in Springfield, Missouri. It is hoped that if Carpenter pitches effectively at the minor league level, and with no further thoracic outlet syndrome issues, that he can return to the Cardinals in August. If able to return, Carpenter would likely replace Joe Kelly in the Cardinals rotation.
Carpenter made just 6 starts in 2012 (3 in the regular season, and 3 in the post season) due to thoracic outlet syndrome. In 2011 he threw 237 1/3 innings in the regular season, and made 6 playoff starts, helping the Cardinals win the World Series.
Carpenter is a two-time World Series Champion, and also a former Cy Young Award winner.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave your comments below, and don’t forget to follow our baseball department on Twitter @Nvincelli, @tiltman1975 and @lastwordmark. You can also the site while you are at it – @lastwordonsport.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
