The Cardinals aren't rushing Chris Carpenter back to the mound, but the right-hander expects to be throwing a baseball by next month. If he begins throwing by mid-June, Carpenter could potentially return right after the All-Star break in mid-July. "Right now, things are trending in the right direction," general manager John Mozeliak said. "We don't have an exact timeline of when he's going to start throwing. He's inching in the right direction." Carpenter said the mid-June target would work for him. "To be honest with you, I hope I am throwing by mid-June," the righthander said. "That's a month away and if I'm not (with) the way I feel now I expect to be, unless I have a huge setback."