St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter watches from the bench at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 3, 2012. Carpenter will miss the remainder of the season. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
No more waiting around. The Cardinals shut down ace pitcher Chris Carpenter and he will undergo season-ending surgery to address the issues of numbness and weakness in his shoulder caused by thoracic outlet syndrome this season, which happens when blood vessels or nerves are compressed in the lower neck and upper chest area.
The surgery will be performed on July 19 by Dr. Gregory Pearl in Dallas. The recovery time for this procedure is three to six months. That leaves Cardinals GM John Mozeliak confident that Carpenter, who is in the first season of a two-year, $21 million contract, will be at full strength at the start of Spring Training in 2013.
Carpenter wants to keep playing. “I want to pitch again, and this is the way for me to pitch again,” Carpenter said. “We tried since Spring Training to get this going, and every time I tried to come back, unfortunately, it just doesn’t allow me to do that.”