Chris Carpenter is “very unlikely” to pitch for the Cardinals in 2013.

A retirement for Carpenter wasn’t announced. Carp will consult with physicians to see what is going on with his neck and shoulder, which have ailed him since last season when he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and underwent surgery in July to correct the issue.

According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, ” [Carpenter] reported to team officials last week that he was continuing to experience discomfort and numbness in his right shoulder — the same issues he experienced last year, when he was shut down just weeks into Spring Training due to weakness and numbness in his shoulder, neck and back.”

Mike Matheny and John Mozeliak address the media during a press conference Tuesday afternoon to announce Chris Carpenter is “very unlikely” to pitch again. (Screen Cap)

Langosch reported, “The Cardinals will either have to lean on one of their young starting pitchers — a group that includes Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal — or look for help from outside. Free agent Kyle Lohse remains unsigned.”

It could be assumed that Lohse would jump at the chance to sign a deal to continue pitching with the Cards. But you know what you get when you assume. Fans must remember this … Lohse’s agent is Scott Boras. Not exactly the type of agent that would allow for a home town discount for one of his clients, considering the situation the Cardinals now find themselves in. … Down Carpenter. And more than likely down Jaime Garcia.

The Cardinals do have a good stock of young pitchers. We all know this. But, they will definitely miss Carpenter’s clubhouse presence and on the field leadership. They need that leadership. Hopefully he will have some presence in the clubhouse. And hopefully Carpenter gets a nice coaching job in the future.

In the meantime, let’s hope that Carpenter gets at least some good news that he will have a comfortable life post baseball.

Miranda Remaklus is a contributor at Aaron Miles’ Fastball. She’s lead writer at Aerys Offsides. Follow her on Twitter, @missmiranda