I've made it pretty clear over the last couple weeks that I'd be happy to take Matt Carpenter as my starting second baseman in mixed leagues even knowing I'll need a stopgap for that first week of the season when he's still ineligible at the position.
Turns out it might be more than just a week.
With David Freese set to open the year on the DL with a sore back, Carpenter will start out at third base, with Daniel Descalso at second base. The Cardinals can backdate Freese's DL stint, so Carpenter's move to second base might only be delayed a week. If this news allows him to slip back to the 20th round or so after he started creeping into the teens in recent weeks, I'll consider it a good thing.