By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | July 6, 2016, 11:47 pm CT
Image: MLB.com / FS Midwest
Just hours after placing backup catcher Brayan Pena back on the disabled list with inflammation in his surgically repaired left knee, the Cardinals are now facing the possibility of being without their lone All-Star for a significant period of time, as second baseman Matt Carpenter exited Wednesday night’s game against the Pirates due to a right oblique strain suffered on a check swing.
Carpenter, who was named to the National League All-Star team on Tuesday, grabbed his right side after checking his swing on a 3-1 pitch from Jeff Locke in the third inning. The infielder immediately walked toward the dugout in noticeable pain, and, after a brief discussion with manager Mike Matheny and the team’s training staff, was removed from the game. Kolten Wong came in to complete Carpenter’s at-bat and remained in the game at second base.
The Cardinals announced shortly thereafter that Carpenter exited with a left oblique injury, and Matheny confirmed to reporters – including Ryan Fagan of Sporting News – after to game that the team’s leadoff man was in fact dealing with a strain.
Matheny said that he had a “high level of concern,” but that it’s too early to tell how long Carpenter, who was undergoing an MRI and the time the manager was speaking with the media, could be sidelined.
The loss of Carpenter for any significant period of time would undoubtedly be another major blow to the redbirds, as the 30-year-old had been the team’s best hitter through the first half of the season. Headed into play on Wednesday, Carpenter led the National League in on-base percentage and OPS, and has spent time at three positions, most recently shifting back to second base upon the return of Jhonny Peralta.
As noted earlier, the injury comes just over 24 hours after Carpenter was announced as an All-Star for the third time in his career. If Carpenter is unable to play in the Midsummer Classic, NL manager Terry Collins and the Commissioner’s Office will work together to determine a replacement, although that player does not have to be from the Cardinals (even though Carpenter was the redbirds’ sole representative), MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes.
Carpenter’s oblique strain is just the latest in a series of injuries that have hit the Cardinals in recent days. 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 missed Wednesday’s contest due after exiting Tuesday night with discomfort in his surgically repaired thumb.
