The St. Louis Cardinals placed Chris Duncan on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a bulging disc in his neck. It’s the latest setback for a player who totaled 43 homers his first two major league seasons but has just six this year.
Duncan, batting .248 with 27 RBIs in part-time duty, said the neck has been bothering him for a while but had been tolerable until after Monday night’s game when he couldn’t sleep and then woke up with stiffness. He also reported shooting pain down his right arm.
The news was more positive for right-hander Adam Wainwright, who threw his first bullpen session since going on the DL on June 8 with a ruptured tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand. Wainwright threw 40 pitches at 70-75 percent effort, is scheduled for at least two more bullpen sessions on Thursday and Saturday, and could be back in the rotation in two weeks or so.
The Cardinals are hopeful both Wainwright, the opening day starter this year, and Chris Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner who threw four innings for Double-A Springfield in his first rehab start on Sunday, will both be in the rotation by early August. Wainwright said he thought Carpenter, who had reconstructive elbow surgery last July, would be the first to return.
The team administered a cortisone shot on Tuesday along with other therapy. Duncan made a nice running catch in left field in Monday’s game before being removed in a double switch that was unrelated to the injury.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.