JUPITER, Fla. • Matt Carpenter won’t be playing in the first spring training game Saturday for the Cardinals. But he will be appearing in the second one Sunday, which puts him about three weeks ahead of his schedule for last year and, for that matter, the year before.
In 2017, Carpenter got a late start in spring training as he had aggravated an oblique issue that had plagued him the year before. Last year, he was dealing with a sore throwing shoulder and back.
This year, Carpenter is healthy and ready for his first full spring training since 2016 although he admonished, “Don’t jinx me.