ST. LOUIS — Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter is the Major League Baseball players’ choice as the National League Comeback Player of the Year — an award that he has won twice because of a career complicated by injuries.

Carpenter lost most of the 2008 season because of Tommy John surgery, a repair that was necessary as a result of an injury that happened Opening Night 2007. The St. Louis Cardinals’ No. 1 starter and former Cy Young Award winner missed five weeks because of an oblique strain in 2009, but otherwise was the cornerstone of a rotation that powered the Cardinals to the NL Central title. Carpenter went 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA in 192 2/3 innings. Carpenter led the NL in ERA, and he’s considered one of the leading candidates, along with teammate Adam Wainwright, for the NL Cy Young Award.

The award was announced this morning on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike Show.

“Coming into the season nobody knew what to expect — an unhealthy me, and you didn’t know what I was going to be able to do,” Carpenter said as a guest on the show this morning. “We had a nice little group of starting guys. Our core guys were still there. … There were a lot of question marks on what was going to happen when we came into this season. We played our butt off that first half and we gave our ownership a reason to add guys. We were unable to do what we wanted to do (in the playoffs).”

The Comeback Player of the Year award is given out by the Major League Baseball Players Association as part of the Players Choice Awards. This is the second Comeback award Carpenter has won from his peers. The award comes with a $20,000 prize that the player donates to a charity of his choice. Carpenter chose a program at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth that helps support children with cancer. The program is called Kristen’s Gift, and more information about it is available at the official Web site.

On the same radio show Wednesday, the league’s outstanding pitcher will be announced.

Carpenter also spoke about the news of the day in Cardinals’ Nation: The return of manager Tony La Russa and the hitting coach he’s bringing with him, Mark McGwire.

“Obviously, real excited about Tony,” Carpenter told the ESPN Radio show. “He’s an amazing manager. He’s a prepared guy that all he cares about is winning. … I was really hoping he was going to come back, because he’s the one who makes this team go.”

And Carpenter, who hit a career-high .175 this past season, on McGwire joining the coaching staff: “It was surprising. With the things that he’s done in his career and the knowledge that he has I can’t see how he won’t help. I’m looking forward to watching him work.”

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