Chris Carpenter just can’t catch a break.
Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter underwent a magnetic resonance imaging on Thursday that confirmed the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner sustained a torn left oblique muscle during Tuesday night’s start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Carpenter will begin rehab next week, according to general manager John Mozeliak, who described Thursday’s finding as nothing more severe than the club’s original estimate.
“It just confirmed our initial read,” Mozeliak said. “You certainly would have preferred it find nothing. But given his level of pain, this is what was expected.”
Mozeliak said an initial estimate of a 4-8 week recovery for Carpenter remains in place.
Youngster PJ Walters (seriously, dude, could your full name possibly be so bad that it sounds better to go by “PJ”?) will fill in, at least initially, for Carpenter. And since he’s a nobody pitcher for the Cardinals, he’ll be receiving his first Cy Young Award in six to seven months.