(Jupiter, FL) After missing the last few games due to lower back issues, Matt Carpenter is back in the starting lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals as they host the Houston Astros this afternoon. But the first baseman will likely not be taking any swings at the plate.
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“We’ll see how the defense goes,” said Mike Matheny about the planned usage for Carpenter on the day. “Need to get him on the field, first and foremost.”
“Mmmmm…I think he could,” responded Matheny through a tight smile when asked if Carpenter could swing the bat.
The possibility of the Cardinals batting through the order in the first inning has been discussed and all parties feel comfortable with the plan for the first baseman, which could involve Carpenter simply tracking pitches at the plate.
“This is a new position for him on an everyday basis, so to get out there and have the game speed is really important,” explained Matheny. “Once the trainers and medical team felt good about the defensive stuff–because he’s doing some high speed stuff out back with no issues whatsoever, and so Matt asked me what did I think about it.
“You guys remember we did that with Yadi before, we needed to get repetitions behind the plate–that was the priority over the at-bats. Medical team put him through the tests, felt good about it so we feel good about it.”
Carpenter starting at 1B, but hitting 9th. Could mean defense only ..#Cardinals #STLCards pic.twitter.com/t3yyY3wzBd
— Brian Stull (@StullySTL) March 9, 2017
photo credit: STLBaseballWeekly.com
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