Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Will avoid shoulder surgery

Carpenter (shoulder) had an MRI that revealed only inflammation, and he will be able to avoid offseason surgery as a result, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

With an offseason to rest, Carpenter should be able to report to spring training in February at full strength. In addition to the shoulder ailment, back, finger, quad and hip injuries impacted Carpenter at various points in 2017, but he managed to appear in 145 games and reach the 20-homer mark for the third straight season.