St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter is very unlikely to pitch during the 2013 season, the team has announced. Considering he's suffered another setback, Carpenter is reportedly considering retirement, according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Carpenter was limited to three regular season starts for the Cardinals last year before being sidelined due to what was later diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome. The 37-year-old underwent surgery to repair the condition last summer, but following the procedure there was no guarantee that he would be able to continue his playing career.

Carpenter was able to continue and he even managed to return in time to make three starts for the Cardinals during the playoffs. He began his offseason throwing routine early in January to test the arm, and at that point he told reporters that he would consider retirement if he experienced any other setbacks or significant injuries.

The Cardinals certainly hoped to have Carpenter entering the 2013 season, but they are a team prepared to deal with the loss of the former Cy Young Award winner. Their starting four consists of Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook and Lance Lynn, and top prospects Trevor Rosenthal and Shelby Miller figure to compete for the now-available No. 5 spot.

If they opt to go with a veteran arm over Rosenthal or Miller, the Cardinals could look to the free agent market and names such as Kyle Lohse and Joe Saunders.

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