FORT MYERS, Fla. –– The Red Sox weren’t hoodwinked. At least, that’s Chris Carpenter‘s message.
When Boston acquired the pitcher from the Cubs as compensation for Theo Epstein, Carpenter insists he was perfectly healthy. The physicals indicated as much, considering he passed them with flying colors.
Like many, the right-hander was stunned when he experienced elbow soreness after his appearance against Minnesota on March 19 and learned that he would have to undergo surgery to remove a bone spur.
“I felt really good during my physical and told them what I knew and I felt really good and I think everybody’s surprised,” Carpenter said Saturday. “I’m surprised. I’m a little disappointed. It’s just something that happened, something that I’m going to have to deal with, and hopefully I come back this season and everything is all right.”
With his arm in a sling, Carpenter estimated it would take roughly six to eight weeks before he could throw again. This is the third procedure that Carpenter has undergone, having recovered from Tommy John surgery and ulnar nerve transposition.
“It was really disappointing,” Carpenter said. “Coming over to a new team, you want to impress everybody and do your best and help the team out, and then you get news like this. It’s just going to make me work that much harder to come back and be successful and help the team win.”
It was cause for concern within the Red Sox brass, which has researched whether there were any hints that Carpenter had suffered damage in the Cubs organization. General manager Ben Cherington confirmed as much before Saturday’s game against the Rays, but couldn’t elaborate.
“I really can’t comment on it,” Cherington said. “The Cubs are aware of the situation, and we’ve talked to them, but aside from that, I can’t say anything.”
But Carpenter said he trained at the team’s facility without issue all offseason long.
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