The presumed St. Louis Cardinals first baseman — formerly, a super utility daydream — and 3-hole lineup anchor had plenty of reason to blame for his decline in performance since the middle of 201. However, Matt Carpenter insists there’s nothing to see here. The shoulder issues of 2017 have been “cleaned up” and he’s “not concerned at all” about the recurring tightness in his back…but maybe he should be…
On July 6, 2016, in the middle of his best offensive season to date, Carpenter tore his oblique muscle.