Former Yankees and Cardinals Slugger Matt Carpenter Retires at 39
Matt Carpenter has officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball at the age of 39, closing the chapter on a 14-year career.
Carpenter spent the majority of his career—12 seasons—with the St. Louis Cardinals, who drafted him in 2009 and brought him up to the majors in 2011. During his time in St. Louis, he posted a .262 batting average, .368 on-base percentage, and .449 slugging percentage. He hit 155 home runs and ranked fourth in OPS+ (122) among Cardinals players with at least 1,000 plate appearances from 2011 to 2021.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70942820/1400743216.0.jpg)
In 2022, Carpenter joined the New York Yankees, where he experienced a resurgence, hitting .305 with a 1.138 OPS. His strong performance earned him a two-year, $6 million contract with the San Diego Padres. However, he was later traded to the Atlanta Braves, who released him just three days after the trade.
Carpenter returned to the Cardinals for the 2025 season on a one-year deal, bringing his career full circle before deciding to step away from the game.
