Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning during the regular season you’ll get a fresh, topical story to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
NEW YORK — A month before he became a multiposition sensation for the Yankees, Matt Carpenter planned his retirement tour. He had told himself before the season began that if after a month with the Rangers’ Triple A affiliate, the Round Rock Express, he had not been promoted to the major leagues, he would go home and spend time with his wife, Mackenzie, and their two young children.