The Major League Baseball season is set to begin on March 31, where the Rangers play the Astros. The Cardinals have started spring training, and prospects are making their mark and gunning for positions on the 11 World Series title winning team. Chris Carpenter is officially on the 60-day disabled list, but there’s still talk of Carpenter retiring due to the nerve injury that occupied most of his time last year’s season. Although he is still being medically evaluated, several players have stepped up to see if they can fill his shoes. Lance Lynn is most likely going to be the replacement for Chris Carpenter, but there’s still a spot to fill in the pitching rotation this season. The prospects thus far seem to be Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, and Joe Kelly for the position.

Yadier Molina is going to be placed at first base for a short period of time, not so that he can change positions on the team permanently, but because he’s going to be participating in the World Baseball Classic for the Puerto Rican team. He most likely won’t be always catching on the WBC team, so he wants practice somewhere he can easily be moved to when the time comes.

Along with Chris Carpenter’s nerve injury, shortstop Rafael Furcal has an inflamed right elbow ligament which put him out for a while, Jake Westbook suffered a left knee contusion, and manager Mike Matheny is suffering from a ruptured disc in his back and currently is dealing with food poisoning.     The Cardinals have several injuries and uncertainties they must sort out before opening day, and this will prove a challenging time for the Cardinals as they overcome their obstacles.