Carpenter improved, set to rejoin Cardinals

ST. LOUIS -- Speaking to a group of reporters on a Monday afternoon conference call, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak confirmed that third baseman Matt Carpenter will rejoin the team in Cleveland on Tuesday for the start of a three-game series against the Indians.

Carpenter stayed in St. Louis during the team's weekend series in Pittsburgh while recovering from what the organization described as "extreme fatigue." The diagnosis came after Carpenter spent several days dealing with dehydration and an accelerated heart rate. Other medical tests were run to rule out a more serious issue, including a cardiovascular one.

"When a player is going through something and you can't pinpoint exactly what it is, it's always concerning," Mozeliak said. "But to know how he feels today, it's encouraging. That doesn't mean everything is behind us. We still have to be smart moving forward. But hopefully from an organizational standpoint, we will be."

That will include making possible changes to Carpenter's schedule to try and prevent recurring fatigue issues. Carpenter is known to be one of the earliest arrivers to the ballpark -- he often gets to the stadium seven hours before first pitch -- and engages in a strenuous workout routine. He was also the only Cardinals player to start each of the team's first 28 games.

"Obviously, we're going to be more cognizant of what goes on," Mozeliak said. "I think the most important thing is we have open lines of communication in that regard between player and club, and I think he's aware of that. And of course, [manager] Mike [Matheny] and the medical staff are, as well.

"In terms of doing things differently, we're going to take a look at a lot of things and make sure all our players are in position to really succeed and not have a point where they are overworked or experiencing this type of fatigue that Carp went through."

Mozeliak said that he expects Carpenter to be available to start Tuesday's opener, though Matheny will have the final call on Carpenter's inclusion in the lineup after seeing how the third baseman makes it through his morning travel. Despite missing the last three games, Carpenter still leads the Majors with 14 doubles and 16 multihit games. His 20 extra-base hits rank second.