Chris Carpenter (neck, shoulder) is scheduled to face live hitters on Tuesday at Busch Stadium. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters on Monday that there's a "realistic" chance Carpenter could return to the starting rotation this season. It's quite a turnaround for the veteran right-hander, who was basically ruled out for the year when he underwent surgery to alleviate the symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome back in mid-July. He hasn't thrown a pitch in a major league game since the 2011 World Series.