By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | July 7, 2016, 11:32 am CT
Image: MLB.com / FS Midwest
In a season full of frustrations, the Cardinals are now set to face what will likely be their biggest challenge: the loss of one of the best players in the National League, Matt Carpenter.
On Wednesday, just hours after placing Brayan Pena back on the DL with renewed discomfort in his surgically-repaired knee, the Cardinals watched as Carpenter, who was just named to the NL All-Star team the day before, strained his left oblique while checking his swing on a 3-1 pitch from the Pirates’ Jeff Locke in the third inning.
While the full severity of the injury wasn’t known after the game, manager Mike Matheny said he had a “high level of concern,” and on Thursday morning the Cardinals placed Carpenter on the 15-day disabled list with the injury, purchasing the contract of veteran catcher Michael McKenry from AAA Memphis to take the 30-year-old’s place on the roster.
No timetable has been set for Carpenter’s return, although Matheny told KMOV’s J.J. Bailey that two weeks would be the most optimistic estimate.
The loss of their leadoff man and a team leader will undoubtedly be a major test for the 2016 Cardinals, who have struggled mightily to win at home or gain any traction in the NL Central, in which they fell to third place Wednesday night with a loss to the Pirates. The team’s best hitter for the first half of the season, Carpenter leads the Cardinals in doubles, triples, runs, RBIs, walks, isolated power, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, and is third on the team with his 14 home runs.
Carpenter has also spent time at three positions, most recently shifting back to second base upon the return of Jhonny Peralta.
McKenry, 31, was signed by the Cardinals as a minor league free agent in late May after spending time with the Texas Rangers’ AAA affiliate. In 24 games with Memphis, McKenry was hitting .341 with five home runs and 20 RBI. A veteran of parts of six big-league seasons with the Rockies and Pirates, the right-handed-hitting McKenry is a .239 hitter with 29 homers and 103 RBI.
McKenry has been assigned uniform number 19, and joins Yadier Molina and rookie Alberto Rosario – who was just recalled Wednesday – as the third catcher on the club’s 25-man roster.
With Carpenter sidelined, the Cardinals will likely turn to Kolten Wong for the majority of the at-bats at second base, where he was the team’s Opening Day starter. After a rough start to the season, Wong was sent to AAA Memphis upon the return of Peralta before returning to play some in the outfield. It’s not immediately clear who will serve as the team’s leadoff hitter in Carpenter’s place. Greg Garcia, filling in for Peralta at third base, gets the start there on Thursday.
As noted earlier, the Carpenter’s injury comes just over 24 hours after he was announced as an All-Star for the third time in his career. With Carpenter now unable to play in the Midsummer Classic, rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz has replaced Carpenter as the Cardinals’ sole All-Star. Matheny informed Diaz, who leads NL shortstops in doubles (22) and average (.319), of the news Thursday morning.
Carpenter’s oblique strain is just the latest in a series of injuries that have hit the Cardinals in the last week. Reliever Kevin Siegrist is currently sidelined with Mononucleosis, first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss was placed on the DL with an ankle sprain on Tuesday, and Pena returned to the disabled list Wednesday afternoon. Third baseman Jhonny Peralta also was out of the lineup Wednesday and Thursday after exiting Tuesday night with discomfort in his surgically repaired thumb, although he expects to return shortly.
