Former Cardinals All-Star Matt Carpenter won’t even start season in the majors

Former St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter will not be part of the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day roster.

Ahead of the 2022 season, infielder Matt Carpenter remained on the open market. After spending the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Carpenter, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. But did he impress enough to make it onto the Opening Day roster?

With Opening Day just days away, it was revealed that Carpenter did not make Texas’ Opening Day roster. Instead, Carpenter revealed that he will begin the 2022 campaign with Triple A Round Rock in hopes of receiving a call-up during the campaign.

Matt Carpenter will not start 2022 season in majors

Carpenter, who played college baseball for the TCU Horned Frogs, was selected in the 13th round of the MLB Draft by the Cardinals. During his 11 years with the Cardinals, Carpenter made it to the All Star Game three times and won a Silver Slugger award. But, his production took a dip in recent years.

Last season, Carpenters hit .169/.305/.275 while recording three home runs, 21 RBI and 35 hits over 130 games played.

After the conclusion of the MLB lockout, Carpenter reached an agreement with the Rangers on a contract that would pay him $2 million if he were to make it onto the major league roster, per MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

Carpenter will begin 2022 playing for the Express. From there, time will tell if he suits up in a Rangers uniform this season.