Injury Update: Chris Carpenter, Brett Gardner Likely Out for Season

Chris Carpenter hasn’t thrown a pitch this season.  He was expected to be the Cardinals Opening Day

starter, but an issue with his neck landed him on the disabled list early.  Brett Gardner did see some regular season action this year, but he quickly found himself on the DL as well.  Now, it seems both will be lost for the rest of 2012.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Chris Carpenter has had right shoulder surgery to repair the nerve running up to his neck causing him pain.  The Cardinals have said Carpenter should be able to complete his rehab by the start of the off-season and can have a normal off-season.  He is expected to return healthy in 2013.

Carpenter was 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA in 2011 and helped the Cardinals win the World Series.  He was on the mound in Game Seven.  As improbable as the Cardinals’ run was last year, it couldn’t have happened without Carpenter.  He had an even 2.00 ERA in two starts in the World Series.

Brett Gardner played in nine games before injuring his elbow.  He last played on April 17th when he injured himself making a diving play in the outfield.  The injury was originally diagnosed as a bone bruise.  However, Gardner couldn’t quite shake the pain.  He reinjured the elbow in a rehab assignment while stealing a base.  Now, Gardner is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery to repair inflamed tissue in the right elbow.  The surgery is expected to keep Gardner out the rest of the season according to ESPN New York’s Jeff Fletcher.

Gardner struggled last season but was off to a hot start this year.  He was hitting .321/.424/.393 before his injury.  The Yankees have used a combination of Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez in the outfield to fill the gap left by Garnder and both have performed admirably.  The Yankees seem content with what they have, but there are available options on the trade market that may catch the team’s eye.

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