Chris Carpenter seems to be making a quick and easy recovery from the left hamstring strain that he suffered in a game last week.
According to Hall of Famer Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Carp threw a light side session off a mound Sunday afternoon in Cardinals camp and reported only mild discomfort in his hammy.
The Cardinals haven’t scheduled a live appearance for him yet and probably won’t until he’s back to feeling 100 percent. He has ample time to get back on track for his Opening Day start on March 31 in St. Louis.
"(The leg) is good enough,” said the Carpenter. “I just wanted to get up there and throw a little bit. And it was exactly what we needed to do. I’ll be fine. I’ve come back from many, many different things. My arm strength is good.”
The Cardinals need another ace-like performance from Carp this season with Adam Wainwright sidelined by Tommy John surgery. The veteran finished with a 3.22 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 235 innings last year.