The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that right-hander Chris Carpenter will make his season debut Friday against the Chicago Cubs, reports B.J. Rains of FoxSportsMidWest.com:

Cardinals announce that Chris Carpenter will make his season debut Friday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. #stlcards

— B.J. Rains (@BJRains) September 17, 2012

When Carpenter underwent surgery to repair nerve damage in his right shoulder in July, many expected it to end the veteran’s 2012 season. However, earlier this month the Cardinals announced that there was a chance Carpenter would rejoin the club in a few weeks.

At the time of the most recent report, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Carpenter would not be activated until he was confident the 37-year-old could throw up to ninety pitches in an outing. Until this weekend’s announcement, the right-hander’s recover timetable was mostly unknown.

If Carpenter is able to return to form this season, it would offer the Cardinals a significant boost. Over fourteen years in the majors, he’s maintained an ERA of 3.76, including a mark of 3.06 over eight seasons in St. Louis.

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What are you expecting out of Carpenter this season?

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