ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter has been slowed in his attempt to come back from neck and shoulder nerve damage and will skip his next rehab start.
The 2005 Cy Young Award winner struggled Saturday in his latest minor league outing, allowing four runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings for the Cardinals' Triple-A farm club in Memphis.
"I'm going to take a little bit of time (off)," Carpenter said Tuesday. "After that last start, it just wasn't what we were looking for."
The 38-year-old Carpenter said he felt numbness in his hand during the 8-1 loss to Oklahoma City, and the condition hasn't subsided.
"We're going to take a step back -- again," Carpenter said.
He expects to consult with the Cardinals' medical staff over the next few days before planning his next move.
Carpenter missed most of last season because of shoulder and neck injuries that resulted in neurogenic thoracic outlet surgery in July 2012.
He began feeling better in early May this year and went through several successful bullpen sessions before making a rehab start for Double-A Springfield (Mo.) on July 15.
The outing on Saturday was the second during his comeback.
"We're going to be cautious as we move forward with this," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.
Carpenter has 144 career wins and is third in Cardinals history with 1,085 strikeouts.
