Chris Carpenter (shoulder) will begin playing catch Monday. Carp recently began throwing a weighted ball into a net and felt no discomfort from a nerve condition that started in his neck and led to shoulder weakness. It appears that he's a little ahead of schedule, as the veteran righty wasn't projected to resume a throwing program until at least mid-June. "I'll be excited when I get back on the mound out there. At this point in time, I thought I was already past that," Carpenter said. "Right now, it's hard to know what to expect. I'll say it's exciting to the extent that it's moving in the right direction."