Carpenter on the Mend

Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter seems optimistic about his return to the rotation this year.  Carpenter hasn’t pitched since last opening day, and is still recovering from last summer’s Tommy John surgery.  According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Carpenter had a “lengthy” workout yesterday at Roger Dean Stadium that included throwing from 90 feet. Strauss says the plan is to increase the throwing distances throughout the spring and eventually throw off a mound before the end of camp.

“I’d love to be back the first week or two of June,” Carpenter said.

That would be an ideal timetable, but it really all depends on the number and frequency of setbacks. Typical recovery time for pitchers that have had the surgery is 10-12 months.  Read more on Carpenter’s forecast here.

The news is encouraging, but we’ve come to take the team’s optimism with a grain of salt.  Dealing with player injuries, and pushed back return dates has been very frustrating for Cardinal fans.  I think Josh Bacott at St. Louis Sports Magazine speaks for all of us.  Check out his post here.